ing in Court Square, possibly proving, that forces of mind and matter, in the past, present, and future, are indissolubly connected. Forces, animal, vegetable, and mineral, are the same in origin, chaotic in the germ, intelligent in their forms, and susceptible of nothing but change, retaining, undisturbed, their elementary character, teaching us, we are superiors alone in the minute, but insufficient to cope with either element, in their separate strength, or might of combination. Referring to Jackson, reminds us of an incident, that came under our observation, showing how our great men are regarded in Europe, and what a poor opinion crowned heads have of the legal profession. While the writer was visiting Brussels, the capital of Belgium, (some time since,) it was his pleasure, to visit King Leopold, whom he considered the wisest sovereign in Europe. The estimate of this king's character, in Europe, may be judged by his marital alliances, his first wife, being the daughter of Louis Phillippe, and his second, the Princess Charlotte, aunt of Queen Victoria. To reciprocate the compliments, paid him, the king remarked, to the writer:

"I have just finished reading the life of General Jackson, of your State, and find, that he was a man of much character."

"Yes," replied General Fair, the American minister, "he was one of the first lawyers, in the State."

66

A lawyer ?" exclaimed the king, with evident surprise. "Yes," says General Fair, "but one, who carries his briefs and challenges in the same hat."

The status of a lawyer, in Belgium, is that of a scribe, or clerk. The acceptance of such an error of opinion, in our country, would soon decimate the legal profession.

As I have introduced politics into this chapter, I will give a few more personal reminiscences, before closing the subject:

On the 9th of May, 1860, the Bell and Everett convention.convened at Baltimore; the morning of the day of the nominations, the writer, who was a delegate to this last assemblage of the conservative element of the nation, was sitting at Guy's, the great Baltimore caterer,

in company with the following distinguished gentlemen, with whom I had a julep acquaintance: John J. Crittenden, of Kentucky; Harris, of Maryland; Jerry Clemens, of Tennessee, and the veritable George Saunders, of New York; who was at that time, a part of the outside pressure, that New York had sent to Baltimore, for certain purposes that we forbear mentioning.

George Saunders remarked, “Mr. Crittenden, you will be nominated."

"No George, I am laid on the shelf, Mr. Bell will be the nominee of the convention, and a better selection could not be made."

"Well, what is your opinion, Mr. Crittenden, of the result."

"You are not of us, George, but we have confidence in your integrity, tell no tales, and I'll give you all a little advice. You are all younger men than I am, I am called a fossil, although at times I think I'm a "four-year old," but let me tell you it is probable the Democracy may elect their candidate, if so, they will want some honest men umong them, (no exceptions, George,) swing together, and get some fat little offices. Yet, it is possible, the Republicans may elect their candidate, still swing together, your prospects will be still brighter, for the necessity for honest men will be even greater in that party,

Thus spake that great and good Kentuckian, who had a keen appreciation of the spirit of the verse

Mr. Crittenden's jocose prediction and suggestion, resulted as follows: He, himself, was no loser by the accession to power of the Republican party. Harris, of Maryland, remained in Congress, Jerry Clemens' head appreciated the situation, but the yearnings of his heart overcame the promptings of his policy; as for myself, not "swinging," I have "brought up" in prison. The night previous to the Convention, I was at a "blow out," given by the New York delegation, for the purpose of

throwing a tub to the Southern whale, the occupants of the tub, Samuel Houston, of Texas, and Washington Hunt, of New York; the former, who, if he had had a few more workers with brains like his accomplished Secretary of State, E. W. Cave, and fewer like Girard, whose imprudence destroyed his prospects, he might have obtained the nomination. We did not swallow the tub and contents, but did the champagne. The light of the occasion, was Horace L. Day, of New York, to whose courtesy I could only respond, that should it over be my misfortune, to be forced into Congress, I should vote for an extension of his patent. There were but few delegates to the convention, but who were aspirants for office, one of my friends in particular, a prominent Kentuckian, and certainly one the most "whole-souled," genial men I ever met, informed me, privately, that he was a candidate for the Vice-Presidency, and to secure my vote, would favor a bill for giving every thing to every body; based on such promises, the requisite number of votes were soon secured, but, unfortunately for the General, about eleven o'clock, the same night, he fell between the many planks of his platform, and, politically speaking, has never recovered. We lost a glorious candidate, and the State of Kentucky secured an incorruptible Adjutant General. Since the collapse at Baltimore, I have been the beneficiary of nothing but 228-pound bomb and percussion shells, with some 64-solids interlarded. I had hoped, the loss of a limb, or a flesh wound, might presage political preferment, as I know several colonels, who had horses shot from under them, and shortly after became candidates for, and were elected to, Congress, however, as "true nobility looks to the future," I will endeavor to forget the shadows of my past political, and military, history, and turn to the contemplation of a virtuous future, where the reflex of my past actions, particularly the time engaged, in writing this book, will afford me a solace sufficient. Like Cincinnatus, I will go "home to the plow," you may say, as a young lady, pert, pretty, and satirical, said, on my arrival, a prisoner, at Columbus, Ohio:

"While at home, you had better have stayed there, and then you woudn't have been here."

The true guide in life is "the lamp of experience,' and if I am no better by its teachings, I hope I am wiser, and retire for the present, only willing to re-enter the arena, when, by a unanimous call of my fellow citizens, I may be selected to represent them in some of the many legislative branches of the country, whose tendencies are not toward a military prison.

CHAPTER IV.

WHY ARE WE PRISONERS.-MUGGINS' CLUB.-MISSOURI, AND HER SOLDIERS.-DISTINCTION OF RACE AND SOCIETY.-DISSIMILARITY OF THE SECTIONS, IN HABIT, ETC.-DEATH IN PRISON.-GENERAL MURRAY DIED MAY 28TH, 1862.-YANKEE NEGRO PHILANTROPHY.SHAM FIGHT ON THE CAMPUS.-OUR PRISON MESS, AND CLUB.— NO. 2, BLOCK 8, JOHNSON'S ISLAND.-LOUN GERS' HEAD-QUARTERS. -THE HASH QUESTION.-OUR MINISTERS IN PRISON. THE CROWD UPON THE CAMPUS.-OFFICER SHOT.-OUR PHYSICAL THERMOMETER.-ROUTINE OF PRISON-LIFE.-SHILOH PRISONERS.

SINCE

(INCE my imprisonment, I have reflected upon the chain of circumstances, that brought me here, and I find, they are as much the result of incongruous elements in man, as any thing else; a distinction of race, class, and affinity. An American is not an American, the popular theory of North, East, South, and West, one and indivisible, is proved fallacious, by actions, that cause the air to resound in the clang of arins. A man may be born in America, and yet not be inspired with the spirit of the genius of his birth-place, his blood may be of Turk, Greek, or Gaul. Education, and social usage, may direct, and habit may control, his character, yet the ancestral blood remains undisturbed, and the volatile Frenchman, phlegmatic German, or the stoical Englishman, are as naturally true to their blood-instincts, even, though born in the extreme North or South, as if fledged beneath the air of La belle France, or amid the dense fogs, that are broken by the chalk-cliffs of Dover.

In Belgium, you have, on the French frontier, the Walloon; on the Prussian, the swarthe and frigid German;