The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-14 00:00:00

American Notes.

(From the Scotsman.)
[The following notes are in continuation of those
given a few days ago from the diary of a Scottish
gentleman just returned from the Northern States :]
MADISON, WISCONSIN, Oct. —.—We went a little
out of the direct line (from Chicago to Green Bay)
to see Madison, the capital of Wisconsin. It is
beautifully situated. To reach it you have to cross
a lake by a wooden-bridge built on piles, and there
are three other lakes round it. Madison was at first
called the City of the Four Lakes—a much prettier
name than the present one, and a much more sensi-
ble one too, as there is a Madison in many other
States of the Union. There is a College here. The
College and the Court-house are built of a handsome
white stone. They are pretentious, and in bad taste.
There is a characteristic story told of the way in
which Madison became the capital of Wisconsin—
some 15 years ago, I believe. After Wisconsin had
been admitted into the Union as a State, there were
great discussions in the local Legislature as to which
town should be fixed upon as the capital, each repre-
sentative being anxious that it should be in his own
vicinity. At last the Governor said—" Gentlemen,
suppose we fix upon Madison. It is not only a
beautiful spot, but there is a great deal of unoccu-
pied land round it which the Supreme Government
is ready to sell at a dollar an acre. Let us who are
in the secret buy this land and divide it among our-
selves, and then let us declare Madison the capital
of the State." This proposal was carried by accla-
tion ; and when Madison was declared the capital,
the land round it of course rose immensely in value.
The WiSconsin Legislature does not appear to
have been at any time remarkable for purity. Mr.
E., one of our party, who had been a member of it,
told us that soon after he had been elected it was
proposed to pay $2,500 to a man who had been em-
ployed on some business by the Federal Government.
Mr. E. objected, because he said that, from the
vouchers produced, it did not appear that the man
was entitled to yiz9re than $l9 ; but the other mem-
bers of the Legislature " We had better give it
him ; this money does not come out of our pockets,
but out of the funds of the Federal Government."
So the man got the $2,500.
BOSTON, October s.—The first negro regiment
was raised in the State of Massachusetts. They
were commanded by a Colonel Shaw, a graduate of
West Point, and of a good family here. The extreme
Abolitionists were very anxious that the black regi-
ments should be commanded by blacks, but Governor
Andrew stood firm, and said that the black regi-
ments required not only white officers, but the very
best of these. This regiment was first engaged at
Fort Wagner, near Charleston, where the slaughter
was fearful, particularly of officers. Colonel Shaw,
amongst others, was killed. When they sent to ask
for his body, the Confederate commander replied
that he had buried him " with his niggers." They

had been thrown all together into a pit. Mr. I)
said that the fact of these black and white men
fighting alongside one another and being laid in
the same grave had been the . first step towards
breaking down the wall of partition here be-
tween blacks and whites. Colonel Shaw's
parents, when asked what their wishes were, said
that, though they longed to look on the body of their
son, they would not for the world have him moved
from the place where he lay among his troops.
Oct. 6.—There has been a great falling off in the'
trade of New York lately. A return issued the
other clay shows that the receipts at the Custom-
house for September last are less by nearly
$3,000,000 than in the corresponding month of last
year, although the duties are now a good deal higher.
From another return it appears that the annual in-
terest payable in coin of the debt amounts now
to $54,600,000. The Government have gold enough
in hand to satisfy the claims of creditors for some
months ; but the daily receipts at the New York
Customs-house, where, I am told, nine-tenths of
the duties are collected, do not now exceed $lOO,OOO.
At this rate, when the balance now in hand shall be
exhausted, there will be an annual deficiency of
more than $18,000,000 in coin to be made good
somehow or other. I have never been one of those
who thought the war would be stopped for want of
money to carry it on ; stiil, the prospects of the
holders of Federal stock do not seem brilliant, un-
less the Government reform their tariff, and frame
one more with a view to revenue and less for the
purpose of protection.
Several of the Chicago houses failed last week,
and more, I should think, must be in trouble,
being heavily stocked with goods laid in when prices
were high (from the inflation of the currency),
which, now that gold has fallen, they can't get rid
of unless at an immense sacrifice. However, these
Western men had a good time in the early part of
the war. When 'I first came to this country, I was
under the impression that the West had suffered
severely from this war, both from the loss of Southern
markets for its produce and from the heavy tariff.
I am told, however, that before the war broke out,
the Western men, railroads, and States were heavily
in debt. Since the war they have been enabled to
pay a large amount of their debt in a depreciated
currency, very much at the expense of English and
Us:
' who were large holders of
western bonds. a
is said that the gain of the
Europeancpi capitalists,
Western people in this way has much more than
I balanced their loss from other causes.
WASHINGTON, October 22.—Mr. S. took me to
the White House and presented me to the President.
Mr. S. told him that I was from Scotland. Mr.
Lincoln said he liked most Scotchmen whom he
had come across, and thought that they resembled
Americans in several points. I said that there was
this point of resemblance between the two countries,
that each had a regular and general system of
education. I said I had been to his State—lllinois.
Then we talked about the cultivation and growth
of wheat in Illinois, Minnesota, and other Western
States. Mr. S. said, " is a very good friend of
ours (I had not said a syllable to him which could
have indicated whether I leaned to one side or the
other), but we can't agree on the question of the
recognition of the Confederates as belligerents."