France, hold aloof from the hero of the coup d'état; who in Switzerland maintain a genuine Republic, which dates from before the time of the Cæsars, and which will last after the time of the Napoleons; who in Germany practise free thought, and subscribe to the American loan; who in England have prevented their rulers from taking the part of the Confederacy; and who in America have put down a gigantic rebellion without losing their liberties. They are the men of the sangre azul, of blue eyes and light hair; the Goths, who finally saved the Roman Empire from becoming a desert. The instincts of the Germanic races and the instincts of the Latin races are in diametrical opposition. The motto of the one is," Mind your own business;" that of the other, “Parcere subjectis, ac debellare superbos." In the matter of government, the one seeks a mutual guarantee of the right of the individual to be let alone; the other dreams, as even Dante did, of a Holy Roman Empire, where individual actions and thoughts are regulated by a Tycoon and a Mikado. In literature the one produces in our time Motley's "Rise of the Dutch Republic," through whose texture runs a thread of wholesome democratic doctrine; the other puts forth a "History of Julius Cæsar," tainted with a specious sophistry, and prefaced with a likeness of Julius Cæsar, altered to look like the Emperor Napoleon. The one must increase, the other decrease. What folly to set up the example of pagan Rome for the imitation of an enlightened and Christian people in the nineteenth century! The cases of Cæsar and Napoleon are not parallel. The civilization of Greece and Rome absorbed the individual in the State; that of modern Europe and America sets the individual free. The tendency of the modern world towards liberty and individual development may be thwarted for a moment by a cunning and unscrupulous man, but it will be in vain. With the death of Napoleon III., France resumes her career: "Freedom's battle, once begun, Bequeathed from bleeding sire to son, But although the "History of Julius Cæsar" is a complete failure, so far as it attempts to defend despotism as the best form of government, it is exceedingly interesting, as betraying the inner thoughts of the usually silent and mysterious personage who now occupies the throne of France; or at least as showing the views which he desires that his subjects shall adopt. Here, for example, is a fling at the English, calculated to please the French, though by no means true in fact: "Nevertheless, if the people in England had no part in the direction of affairs, they boasted justly, before 1789, a liberty which shone brightly in the middle of the silentious atmosphere of the Continental States."* A shrewd Napoleonic maxim : "Excesses in power always give birth to an immoderate desire for liberty." The following sentiments would do honor to Joseph Surface "Let us not continually seek little passions in great souls. The success of superior men, and it is a consoling thought (especially to the exiles in Cayenne ?], is due rather to the loftiness of their sentiments than to the speculations of selfishness and cunning; this success depends much more on their skill in taking advantage of circumstances, than on that presumption, blind enough to believe itself capable of creating events, which are in the hands of God alone. [Pious man!] Certainly, Cæsar had faith in his destiny, and confidence in his genius; but faith is an instinct, not a calculation, and genius foresees the future without understanding its mysterious progress." This is as clear as the water which a cuttle-fish has polluted to hide its position. A compliment to the electors: "Often, in difficult cases, the people see more clearly than an assembly preoccupied with the interests of castes and persons, and events soon show that they are right." This is especially the case when voting-papers with the word No are not allowed to be printed. Here follows a touching appeal to Victor Hugo, author of Napoléon le Petit, to Gasparin, to Laboulaye, and to men of honor in general: ..... "It is always a great evil for a country, a prey to agitations, when the party of the honest, or that of the good, as Cicero calls them, do not embrace the new ideas, to direct by moderating them. The opposition of these last has the double inconvenience of leaving the way clear to those who are less worthy than themselves, and of throwing doubts into the minds of that floating mass, which judges parties much more by the honorableness of men than by the value of ideas." After that, what Frenchman would not be a time-server? "Whilst blaming the conspiracy of Catiline, Cæsar was unwilling that, to repress it, the eternal rules of justice should be set aside. He reminded men, blinded by passion and fear, that unnecessary rigor is always followed by fatal reactions. The examples drawn from history served him to prove that moderation is always the best adviser." "Laws may be justly broken [and oaths, too?] when society is hurrying on to its own ruin, and a desperate remedy is indispensable to its salvation; and again, *This passage, by the way, is an illustration of the hasty and imperfect manner in which Napoleon's book has been translated into English. The original is as follows:- 66 une liberté qui retentissait avec éclat au milieu de l'atmosphère silencieuse des Etats du continent;" that is, a liberty which rang out loudly amid the sibent atmosphere, &c. There is no such English word as silentious. In other cases the translator has rendered the French too literally, as in translating droit de cité by "right of city," instead of freedom of the city. when a government, supported by the mass of the people [or at least the soldiers], becomes the organ of its interests and their hopes." This is simply detestable. The following is a shrewd observation : "Cicero deceived himself with regard to the causes of his change of party, and did not acknowledge to himself the reasons that constrained him to look out for powerful patrons. Like all men destitute of force of character, instead of openly Confessing the motives of his conduct, he justified himself to his friends, by pretending that, so far from having altered his own opinions, it was he who was converting Pompey, and would soon make the same experiment upon Cæsar." The first volume only has appeared of the History of Cæsar. Should the author live to produce a second, we may return again to a work which, considering the writer and his motives, is unique in literature. In the mean time, it will be curious to watch its reception by the French press; it being understood that Napoleon has no objection to criticism, provided only it be favorable. WHAT THE COAST SURVEY HAS DONE FOR THE WAR. II. THE preceding paper consisted of a general history of the operations by which the Coast Survey had contributed to the prosecution of the war, from its commencement until the end of the year 1862. The present one will resume the history with the beginning of the year 1863, and conclude it with the cessation of that agency, which continued to be actively and beneficially exerted, until the occasion for its exercise closed with the Rebellion. In accordance with the view previously expressed and still entertained, regarding the character of an account intended for the general reader, that it should not enter into details uninteresting and often unintelligible to the popular mind, it may be well here to reiterate, that the present endeavor to provide information, professes to do no more than afford a cursory view of operations whose number alone would preclude detailed description within the limits assigned for their treatment, and to dilate on them only when connected with well-known events. The last grand operation described, was the capture of New Orleans. Throughout the remainder of 1862, endured a long season of hope deferred, through misfortune, which, if not always defeat, was often questionable success. This was the period that witnessed the return of the Army of the Potomac from the Peninsula, the enemy's advance on Washington, and the battle of Fredericksburg.* The only great success which served to counterbalance many grievous disasters, was the victory of Murfreesboro'. The battle commenced on the 31st of December, 1862, and ended by night, without decisive results. It was reserved for the 3d of January to witness the flight of the rebel army. Yet during this very conflict, which ended in a brilliant triumph, General Sherman was obliged to raise the siege of Vicksburg. The aspect of affairs, during the latter part of 1862, was far from encouraging. Chancellorsville and Chickamauga were shrouded in the future. But the Nation at last emerged into the light of a better day—a glorious day, when Victory alighted on the standard of the Union, and rested there. Ignorance, indifference, and jealousy had enjoyed their reign. The hour and the men drew nigh. The point of time at which it is proposed to introduce matters appertaining to the Coast Survey is now accurately designated. It will be necessary to revert to the close of 1862, chiefly to give the dates at which some officers of the Survey commenced operations which continued in 1863, and correspondingly there will be a slight recurrence to the events of that year. At the commencement of 1863, all of the army officers connected with the Coast Survey had been detached; and of the navy officers only one remained. On the coasts of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, of nine assistants, fourteen sub-assistants, and twenty-two aides, twelve assistants, seven sub-assistants, and ten aides served with the military and naval forces during the campaigns of the third year of the rebellion. In December, 1862, three officers of the Coast Survey reported to Major-General Banks, who, at the time, was preparing for the expedition to the upper country of Louisiana. They made a survey on the right bank of the Mississippi, opposite to New Orleans. In February, 1863, they made several reconnoissances, and, in conjunction with Lieutenant Loring, of Brigadier-General Emory's staff, they examined the bayous which connect the Atchafalaya, Red River, and Mississippi. Maps and tracings had been sent to the military authorities before the night of the 25th, when the gunboat Kinsman, which had been employed in the surveys, snagged and sank in deep water. During March, two of these officers reported at Baton Rouge, *The victories of South Mountain and Antietam occurred within that period, but as they were fought to repel invasion, they were not calculated to inspire the people with hope of the eventual defeat of the South. where they engaged in reconnoissances, surveying, and construction of fortifications. At the close of March, one of the officers was assigned to duty with the staff of Brigadier-General (now Major-General) Weitzel, and served as engineer and topographer. When the greater part of the army had passed Berwick's Bay, he accompanied Lieutenant Harwood, on the gunboat Clifton, in order to attend the troops under the command of Brigadier-General Grover, who deemed his intimate knowledge of the country lying back of Bayou Têche to be of especial value to the expedition. After the engagement at Irish Bend, resulting in the capture of the enemy's works, it was decided to make a naval attack upon Fort Butte à la Rose, and thus open the Atchafalaya. Being well acquainted with the location of the fort, the same officer was attached to the squadron. The Clifton having been disabled in the attack, he went on board of the Estrella, at the request of her commander, Captain A. P. Cooke. days afterwards, the Estrella passed through the Atchafalaya, and opened communication with Admiral Farragut. A few While engaged in reconnoissance at the siege of Port Hudson, where he remained until the surrender, he joined the expedition to Sabine Pass, and upon his return, reported to MajorGeneral Franklin, and served through the campaign in Western Louisiana. The knowledge possessed by Admiral Porter in regard to the usefulness of officers of the Coast Survey, when acting in concert with naval movements,-an experience which he had acquired at the bombardment of Forts Jackson and St. Philip,no doubt disposed him to accept with pleasure the services of two, who were sent to the fleet operating in the Mississippi. the 27th of November, 1862, they reported at Cairo, One was sent on board of the flag-ship Black Hawk, and compiled maps of the Yazoo region. On Illinois. On the 9th of December, the other officer was dispatched from Cairo, on board of the gunboat Tyler, to sketch the shores of the Y azoo. On the 23d, the gunboat steamed up that river. Five miles from the mouth, she encountered a heavy fire of musketry from both shores; but she held on her course during the day, and at night anchored in the stream. The next day, the survey of the banks of the river was resumed, and mainly completed for the purpose contemplated by General Sherman and afforded the preliminary information necessary for the debarkation effected by the army of General Sherman, on the 26th of December. As already incidentally mentioned, the siege had to be aban doned. More than thirty copies of the sketches delineating the ap |