The Express. — 1865-05-01 (London, England)

AMERICA.  —wiener.) NEW YORE, Aram 19. The early closing of the mail on the morning of Dlr. Lincoln's death left me time to do little more than mention the fact. It will be almost impossible for me to give any account of the state of things which was to be witnessed in this city during the day that will not seem exaggerated. 1 went down into Wall-street, along Broadway, a distance of over two miles, about ten o'clock, and found business along the entire route completely suspended. The enormous number of Up, one at least on every house, and iu many cases three or four projected from the windows, which had been hoisted a day or two previously to celebrate the surrender of Lee, were flying at half mast. The ahopmen appeared to have all left their counters, and were congregated on the sidewalks, along with crowds of others, talking in low tones, or gazing up and down with a dumbloundered air. As I got farther down, I fell in with the merchants' clerks, who were pouring in to their business from the country and the suburbs, most of whom bad just heard the news at the station, and I was struck by the whiteness of almost every face as they hurried eagerly to their offices. I reached Wall-street about 11, the hour at which usually the wheels of trade are revolving with wildest rapidity and loudest hum, but everything was arrested. The counting-houses were empty, and everybody was in the street. The street was almost impassable from Broadway nearly to the river. Dense crowds were assembled around the newspaper offices in Nassaustreet and Park-place, gazing fixedly, but in perfect silence, at the announcement which stared from the bulletin boards in great letters " that Abraham Lincoln had died that morning at 20 minutes past i." The custom-house in New York serves much the same purpose as the towu•halls of the medisaval cities in forming a rallying point for the citizens in times of great excitement. The public here is never strongly moved that a meeting does not collect in front of it, and some orator compelled to address it, and, as might be expected, the practice on this occasion was not forgotten. Above and below, as far as I could see, the street was packed with people. Dr. Vermilye, a clergyman, was found, who opened the proceedings with a prayer, and as he concluded with the Lord's Prayer, all that portion of the audience within hearing joined in repeating it after him. Several speeches followed. and every expression of determination to lay a heavy hand on " the rehab," and to cut up slavery root and branch, called up from the dense mass below a roar of applause. There was uo diminution of the excitement throughout the day. The courts adjourned, the Stock Exchange was closed, and even the " gold room," in which public calamities and public triumphs are about equally welcome as furnishing food for speculation, was for once shut up. As soon as the news got abroad that the President was really dead, the occupants of the houses along Broadway began to dress their windows, and balconies, and doors with the ensigns of mourning, generally festoons of crape and white muslin. The movement soon spread, and before night there were, I think, few houses in New York in which funereal drapery did not hang from window, or balcony, or door, from the small huxter's on the Bowery to the palace on Fifth-avenue. There was no resumption of business throughout the day ; nothing but the murder was spoken of or thought of. I saw no man who did not seem utterly overcome by the catastrophe. I heard of a great many ladisi, and of course there were thousands I did not Lear of, who passed the morning in their houses weeping. The only exceptions to the general lamentation were to be found amongst the lowest class of Irish, in whose eyes Mr. Lincoln was the cease of the war and the draft, and I was told that in some places there bad beenattempte early in the morning to exhibit signs of satisfaction, but the outburst of feeling two or three hours later was so tremendous and overwhelming, that those who did not share it were awed into silence. In fact the excitement rose to such a pitch at one time, that it was feared that violence might be offered to prominent persons of secessionist sympathies, and two or  (not ova SPECIAL  throe who ventured to express doubts in the street  of the complicity of the Confederates in the crime :heir lives.