stake,—and a whole country. It was no trifle we had to contend for. It was not only an empire,-it was the hopes of the world. If we failed, where could the wet and tired dove of human hope find shelter with her good news?

We must have something to repose on,-something to hope in. Where can we go if we slip our anchor now w?

Is there any thing else that is safe?

manifested and developed which actuated the soldiers of Cromwell, who, on the field, invoked the Lord their God to arise. So let it be with us. We must be at least one with Him in spirit. Let us, like Cromwell, invoke the Almighty's blessing, and, clothed with the panoply of patriotism and religion, strike for our homes and our country. [Immense cheering.] Let us,-oh, let us,—without reference to any differences of the past, keep our eyes steadfastly on the great object to be achieved,-the nationality and independence of this country, the salvation of civilization from the insults and assaults of barbarism; and then, but not till then, will you be worthy to be recognized as a distinguished portion of our great American army." [Long-continued cheering from the whole regiment.]

IX.

Statesmen and Event!

MEN strut everywhere,-most of all in the front of em Real statesmen keep themselves out of sight; sham statesmen always parade themselves.

pires.

"France! ma belle France!"

But only now and then, and far between, Richelieu appears. How many quack doctors have had ready-made prescriptions for our national and international troubles! Yes, remedies that would cure any complaint! They would do just as well for one disease as another. It might be a constipation of the bowels in a young gentleman two weeks old, or a collision of empires. Liver, kidney, lights, smelts, sweet-breads or kingdoms,-"all the same, sir: only three dollars a dozen."

This trash abounds everywhere. Most of all does this rubbish collect around the halls of statesmanship in this country, where everybody knows every thing.

Every great statesman keeps a man to sweep all such rubbish out of his chamber. Everybody knows every thing! How true this is in our blessed and abused country! A French gentleman said a good thing the other day.

Why, monsieur! your citizens all know so much, I wonder if they allow your President to know any thing." "Monsieur, they don't give him a chance."

"Oui, monsieur. But how the devil does your President do any thing?"

"I'll tell you, monsieur. Our President does his duty. He is clothed by the Constitution with just as much authority as he needs to execute the laws."

"But, monsieur, you make no limit, then, to his authority. You have one great tyrant.".

"No, sir! That is your European way of doing business. We find our house in flames, and our babes in bed! They must be saved, and we do it at any and all hazards. Our Government was made for our people, and our protector must take care of them. That protector must have, and does have, all the power he needs for the work. You talk about provostmarshalship, and call it despotic. You are right: it is. God uses it. He is the Provost-Marshal of the Universe. But he assumes no extremer prerogative in any case than the Chief of the New York Fire Department, who blows up one building to save a city.

"Power must be put forth. Somebody must have it. Joan of Arc might not have stood a very good chance of an election if she had gone to the polls. But this did not stop her from having her name known forever as the Maid of Orleans. So with your emperor. He found France floating helplessly

in the surging sea of a social Deluge. He laid his strong arm on the helm and brought the ship to! The 1st of December, France was worthless. The next day she became an empire. The coup d'état fell like a bolt from heaven. But you are proud of your nation's history from that memorable 2d of December."

"Yes, oh, yes, monsieur. ditional constitution."

But you violate all your tra

"No, sir; not for a second! In France I know you have no constitution. You may get up one every few years, but with the first émeute in Paris down it goes, and you scream out, from the Hotel de Ville, 'Vive la République!' and when your Lamartine republic has had its day, a day sanctified by the best blood of Paris and illuminated by the sunlight and the starlight of the finest genius of your noble country,—after all, you have to come to the centre, the home

of all Frenchmen and all men,-confidence in the government,

faith in power.

"You have had to do that often in Paris; and Paris is France, and France now is Napoleon. Let him slip, let him blunder, one mistake, one divorce of Josephine, one more silly attempt to conquer the unconquerable Russians,-and you will find in your transient ruins some dead honors to sleep on.

"But, my dear sir, do me one favor. Don't, please don't tell me that we have not made provision for all our troubles. In France you have to do any thing to get out of a scrape. Our constitution does not die. We need no coups d'état. These difficulties are all provided for. Our President has all the executive authority of the nation vested in himself. When he fails in his duty, then, and not till then, we have a revolution."

"But you have one very great revolution now."

"Sir, here you make a mistake. It is not a revolution. It is only an insurrection. It is simply a family quarrel, in which your nation has not yet been invited to intervene or interfere. We have some linen (that needs washing, to be sure) which we intend to put through a straight, clear-starch process; and we should like to get over our little domestic affairs, if we can, without being troubled."

"Well, but Governor Seymour tells me that the President takes too much authority on him."

"Well, sir, I think Governor Seymour has made a very great mistake.”

"But do you not think Governor Seymour was elected by your New York people?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Well, he is the law?"

"No! the man is not yet born who is the law for America. We keep legislators to make our laws."

"Well, what shall his Excellency Governor Seymour do?" "Just what I think he is determined to do."

"What is that?"

"Stand by the flag, the Government, the war, till the last enemy is put under our feet.”

"If he does not do that?"

"Then let him look out for breakers!"

"What you say? Breakers?"

"I mean this. If Governor Seymour tries to turn this tide against the war or the Government, he will be swept away like shavings in the wind."

“Well, then, you think your good and great Government will be permanent?"

"No, sir,- eternal! The world seems to have nothing to do with itself just now but to look after our affairs. I have sometimes thought that it was 'love's labor lost.' But it is quite possible you may have work enough at home to occupy you."

"Why? We are very quiet in Europe, particularly in France."

“You are just now. But within my time I have seen several revolutions in France. In 1830 you exiled Charles X., the first gentleman in your country, when you should have hanged his ministers. In '48 you sent a mob of women, gathered from the purlieus of Paris and drunk with rum, to drive Louis Philippe, the prince of your own choice, from his bed at Versailles; and you set him afloat in a fishingsmack on the British Channel. Again, you chose Lamartine, and turned your backs on him. Again, Cavaignac; but you did not like his soldierly conduct. Then you elected Louis Napoleon, for which I forgive you. It is the best thing you have ever done since the time you allowed the despotisms of Europe to chain up your eagle on the rock of St. Helena.” he was our Prometheus."

66 Yes;

"Well said. You will not complain that you have a master

now?"

"O, vive Napoleon!"