The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-08 00:00:00

PRINCE NAPOLEON 47 TVA SLUNG TON.

(From the Revus des Deux Atondes.)
Our first reception at the White House was by
Mr. Seward, Secretary of State, who, dressed in a
yellow drill paletot and a broad-brimmed straw hat,
resembled, but only on the first impression, some
small well-to-do landed proprietor. Mr. Seward is
a man of high intellect, the personification of the
Republican party in Congress. His views have
always made him the determined opponent of the
Slave majority in Congress. Thus in the South he
is burnt in effigy, which does him honour. You
are aware that he had a great chance of the Presi-
dency when Mr. Lincoln was elected in a very un-
expected manner. However, the Government has
not suffered much by it, as this distinguished man
maintains a great preponderance there, and the
Slave faction style the Government the Seward
party. If you wish to form an idea of Mr. Seward's
appearance, fancy the head of Hector Berlioz, with
a delicate.Romarn profile, combined with an ihcli-
cation of great energy.

After waiting a few minutes, a smail door opens
and admits a very tall man, six feet high, thin,
dress,.cl in a complete suit of black, and holding in
his large, hairy hands a pair of white gloves, which
he has never put on, and which never can be put
on ; a long nose, wide mouth, small agreeable eyes,
hollow cheeks, his beard cut in the American fashion
—a fashion which wsuld make Jupiter himself look
vulgar—a toupet of long hair raised up on his fore-
head and falling back like a weeping-willow, a kind
expression of countenance not devoid of shrewdness
—such is "honest Abraham" (the nick-name given
to President Lincoln).
You know his history. The grandson of one of
the first pioneers in Illinois, who was killed by the
Indians, the son of a pioneer, and a pioneer himself,
he received six months' elementary instruction at
school, was a cowkeeper, a rail-splitter, a bargeman
for conveying timber on the Mississippi, workman
on a railway, and, finally, a day labourer in a farm
at Springfield, where he instructed himself sad-
ciently to enter as clerk into a warehouse. He then
joined the militia, where he was elected captain,
and two years afterwards was returned a member
for Congress. He was there in 1846. In 1849 he
voluntarily resigned his seat to live with his family;
but the popular suffrage took him from his pbugh
in 1859 to oppose Mr. Douglas, who represented
the feelings of the South. He made successful
harangues all through Illinois, and defeated his
adversary. Mr. Seward, with a spirit of concilia-
tion and modesty, of which examples are not rare
in the policy of the Union, gave his own votes in
favour of the man of the West—the honest, wise,
obscure Abraham. He hoped by sacrificing his
personality to obviate the rupture between South
and North ; but that had been decreed.
You also know that Mr. Lincoln's nomination
was hailed with enthusiasm by the working classes,
who saw in his rustic origin, in his probity, as well
as in his moderation, a guarantee for labour and the
labouring classes. If I give you all Mr. Lincoln's
claims to public respect, you will allow me a smile
at his whimsical appearance, and at that pair of
kid gloves which seem astonished at finding them-
selves in the hands of a rail•splitter.
He advanced in a shy, awkward manner, shook
hands with the Prince, then with each of us, and
attempted to enter into a friendly conversation.
" How many days did you take from Europe ? Is
it to the son of Lucien Bonaparte that I have the
honour of speaking ? What do you think of Ame-
rica ? It is very hot!"

Evidently the worthy man was most kindly dis-
posed, but the representative freedom had none
whatever in his speech or manners. fie had no diffi-
culty in expressing himself (he gained his position
by his speeches), and the Prince speaks English
perfectly. I should have preferred seeing a jolly,
blunt, blustering farmer, proud of his position as
a parvenu. He was so awkward that I felt quite
disappointed. I should have liked to conjure up
my jolly farmer.

We separated with more shaking of hands; we
followed the Prince to the Capitol. Mr. Seward,
who accompanied the Prince, introduced to him the
high functionaries of the political machine, the
wheels of which continued to creak in the person
of a very noisy orator. This individual, in a yellow
cotton paletot, his hat firmly fined on his head—
which does,not effcod me, but which can never be
picturesque until we change our style of head-dress
—hurls out a speech, listened to with the greatest
sang froid, or rather not listened to at all. This
" Pere Duchesne" seems in a mighty state of exas-
peration, but does not disturb in the slightest de-
gree the occupations of the senators. Ono is
absorbed reading his newspaper, another is vrhit-
fling a small piece of wood, another is asleep with
his legs up in the air. The President is yawning.
Every member speaks from his seat—there is no
tribune.

This evening, dinner at the President's. I meet
with various surprises. First, an agreeable surprise.
I find myself seated next to Senator Sumner, our
former travelling companion in Switzerland, and
brother of your friend ; he is a most agreeable, in-
telligent man: Opposite to me sits Gen. M'Clellan,
a man of an energetic and intelligent cast of coun-
tenance, of simple, modest manners, 35 years of
age. He is a distinguished pupil of the military
school at West Point. During the Crimean war
he went there on a tour of military instruction.
"But why," whispers one man into my ear, " does
he take a different view of affairs from every one
present ?" and another whispers into my other ear,
"That is our future First Consul. Is everything to
be changed ?" I express some doubts on the subject.
The rejoinder is, " He has a fine game, if he knows
how to play it."

I shall not give you a word picked 3 up by
chance as a very serious symptom, but I follow up
the idea expressed in my last—lf America has to
maintain and reconquer her unity by war, good-bye
to her actual system of liberty. Is it already felt
in high political quarters that a serious modifica-
tion of her institutions will become inevitable ?
But the nation is there, which will probably make
peace at all price.

Another personage at this meeting was Lieute-
nant• General Scott, a tall, hale veteran of 75 years
of age, who won laurels at Vera Cruz and in Mexico
in 1847. I was asked if I did not think he bore a
strong resemblance to Napoleon I. With the best
goodwill in the world, I cannot discover anything
in 1. is appearance except the strongly-marked Eng-
lish type of countenance.

THE HON. CAPTAIN DRUMMOND.—We (Scots -
man) are glad to learn that the accident to this gentleman
has not been of so serious a nature as was reported. Cap-
tain Drummond has returned to Inchbrakie, and is nearly
convalescent.
THE SHEDDON CASE.—With respect to the ap-
plicatioi for reviving this the Judge-Ordinary, yesterday,
said ho should require certain affidavits relative to the prac-
tice of the House of Lords before he took a further step in
the case.

_ •
SERIOUS ACCIDENT TO A SPORTSMAN.—We re-
gret to say that a serious accident occurred to Mr. Smith,
turnedta n c e.
i‘ir. while joining the chase on Wednesday. The meet was at
Ulley, near Aston, and in crossing a fence, Mr. Smith's
pitching its rider to a consider-
able
o
brokeS nii t
his
fells
collarheavily
te n
bone Every
n hisv elreyf tasshs
iosutladneere,
anhdrsed asomersault,
unfortunately
is
was immediately rendered, and Mr. Smith, in the course of
the evening, was removed to his home at Norton Lees,
where the fracture was attended to by Mr. Geo. Booker,
surgeon. We are glad to report that the patient passed a
good night, and that the symptoms were favourable on
Thursday morning.—Sheffield Independent.
REDUCTION OF THE IRISH CONVICT ESTABLISH-
MENT.—The entire convict establishment at Philipstown,
in the King's county, is about to be closed, the officers be-
longing to it disposed of by gratuities or superannuation,
and its cost struck off the estimates for the ensuing finan-
c'al year. This is a very strong proof oflhe complete sue-
cess of Captain Crofton's system, and will leave the Irish
Convict Directors only three prisons under their superin
tendencc—namely, Mountjoy Prison, in Dublin; Spik
Island Public Works Prison ; and the intermediate est
blishment at Smithfield, Dublin, with its appendage
Lusk Farm. When the directors first undertook
tilts(' in the
home establishments, besides several hundreds of the Irish prisons there were 4,000 Irish n
and Gibraltar. There are now not 1,500
att home and non
Philipstown
capable of holding 600 convicts
undergoing transportation. The prison
partly in
a co
iv:Bermud
a moveable iron
building erected there by Captain Cto meet the grea Crofton
•
demand for accommodation which he at first experienced,
but its actual population
has gradually decreased until it
has justified this very prudent total abandonment of it by
the Government.
....01,ibservire Gazette.