The Portland daily press., 1866-02-17
Letter from the Federal CAPITAL.
IN MEMoRIAM.
WASHINGTON, Feb. Is, 1850


The proceedings at the Capitoi on Monu"s
tho 10Th inst, in memory OF our ia'e feSi-
,sont were characterized by greater degree
.-.o,ost and much less frigidity than are
ont ~ he displayed upon occasions so stately
sd oa,emonious Each Senator and Repre-
sentative being supplied with only five tickets
of admission, but very small part of those
who desired to be present could obtain them.
The event, however, proved the wisdom of
rigidily limiting the number Of cards issued,
as some who held them were entirely unable
to get within the galleries of the Hall OF hep
resentatives, or even within hearing distance,
and so were obliged to 60 away disappoin1eu'
At ten o'clock A. NJ, the doors we're opeheu'
and thirty minutes later all the galleries not
speciallv reserved were filed. The members
of the House early took their place upon the
floor of the Hall, and the officers OF the Army
and Navy soon after began to come IN. AZ
halEpast eleven Lieut. Gen. Grant cntered'
and was greeted with applause, and soon at
ter Gen. Butler appeared and was recei'eu
with a similar demonstration. The Army was
renresented by Generals Hatch, Logan. Cur
t;s Ausur. Townsend, Fry, Ekin, Surgeon
General Barnes, Paymaster General Brice,
.Judge Advocate General Holt; and the Navy
nv Rear Admirals Davis, Dahlgren and Shu-
brick, as well as by many officers of less rank.
At ten minutes past twelve the Senate, pre-
ceded by their Sergeant-at-Arms, and follow
ed by the officers of that body, entered the
Hall of Representatives, and five minutes
later the President and Cabinet were announc-
ed, with the orator of the occasion, Hon. Geo.
Bancroft, in their company. The Judges OF
the Supreme Court very soon after came IN,
dressed in their robes of Office, with the Chief
Justice at their head f
The President of the Senate pro tenn, Hon.
La Fayette S. Foster, presided, with the Speak
or of the House at his left; the orator Of the
occasion sat Immediately in front, in the desk
of the Clerk of the House, with Hon. Solo
mon Foot, chairman of the committee of ar
rangements, on the part of the Senate, and
Hon. E. y. Washburne on the part of the
House, on his right and left; the President OF
the United States occupied seat directly in
front of the Speakers desk, with the MEM
bers of his Cabinet at his right; the Justices
of the Supreme Court were seated on the
Presidents left; the Diplomatic Corps sat
near the Cabinet, while other dignitaries and
officials were arranged according to their re-
spective rank, and the consideration to which
they were supposed to be entitled.
When the business of arranging and seat
ing the assembly was over, the Marine Band,
stationed in the vestibule behind the Report
A'S ers' gallery, performed @Le Miserere" from I'll
Trovatore" Mr.. Foster then called to order,
and prayer was offered by Rev. G. c. Boynton,
9 Chaplain Of the House The president of the
occasion in brief address then introduced
Hon. Geo. Bancroft to the vast and august au-
dience. .ha
OF an Grafton which will doubtless be pub
lished everywhere and read by everybody, it
seems necessary to say very little. The his
torical parts of it-and it was largely histOr-
81 ical-were exceedingly able. The history of the
whole struggle between freedom and slavery
in this country was sketched in a mastery
way. 3, There was the touch Of a masters hand
in every line and stroke. Nor did the orator
abate one jot or little of the truth out Of de-
ference to any body present or absent, living or
dead. That eternal infamy, called the bred
Scott Decision. was exposed none the less
thoroughly because Reverdy Johnson, who in
that matter exerted all his great talents and
requirements in the cause of oppression, and
several of the Judges who helped make that
decision and "frame iniquity by law" sat just
before him. The vices of the English system,
e that government of land in which every
blade of grass is represented" but only few
of the people who live under it, and the I'm
kindness and injustice of the British aristoc-
racy toward us in our time of trouble, were
discussed with none the less freedom and Wig
or because the English Minister was alisten-
er. The conduct of the French Government
was treated with similar faithfulness. Sir
Frederick Bruce is believed to have borne
this review of his government and its policy
toward us with a fair degree of equanimity,
but the Marquis de Montholon is said-for
could not see him from my seat-to have been
visibly nettled by the structures upon the
course pursued by his Court toward the Uni
ted States. OF the sincere sympathy and un-
feigned kindness displayed toward us by the
Russian government, when we sorely needed
both, Mr.. Bancroft spoke in terms of high and
Just appreciation. His glowing tribute to the
sublime act of Russian emancipation, as well
as his alusion to the fact that the Russian
government had not only emancipated its
serfs but also given them houses and freeholds,
4 were received with very great applause, both
on the floor and in the galleries. The Russian
Minister, NJ. De Stoeckl, is said to have ex-
pressed the liveliest satisfaction at these
friendly and well deserved demonstrations.
. AS the orator abated nothing, so he added
nothing on account of the presence in
which he spoke. He referred in glowing
" terms to our military heroes, but to those only
Is who had laid down their lives for their coun-
try. Once he incidentally alluded to Gen.
Grant, but not at all in the way of compli-
ment. His whole Grafton did not contain any
allusion whatever to President johnson. He
did say SEINE things which will probably make
the ears of that "Old Public Functlonary" tin
gle, and he sent two or three shots so near 1t.
Gen. Scott as to make the feathers fy,-so at
least it seemed to me. The thoroughly indie
pendent and truthful tone of this Grafton
should be an example in this age ofindiscrim-
mate putting and fulsome, sickening adula-
ton. &; -. ...... ..... t........s
The character of "Lincoln," whom the
speaker always mentioned as we speak of
Washington, without any title or prefix what
ever, was portrayed temperately and truthful
ly. To his intellectual qualities he probably
rendered tribute which the country will ac-
cept as very nearly just. As to those qualities
8 of heart for which our late President was SO
beloved, and by which he was so endeared to
all his countrymen, qualities which are not to
be fully appreciated by the understanding