Here I have lived from my youth until now I am an old man. Here the most sacred ties of earth were assumed. Here all my children were born; and here one of them lies buried. To you, dear friends, I owe all that I have, all that I am. All the strange, checkered past seems to crowd now upon my mind. To-day I leave you. I go to assume a task more difficult than that which devolved upon Washington. Unless the great God who assisted him shall be with and aid me, I must fail; but if the same omniscient mind and almighty arm that directed and protected him shall guide and support me I shall not fail-I shall succeed. Let us all pray that the God of our fathers may not forsake us now. To Him I commend you all. Permit me to ask that with equal sincerity and faith you will invoke His wisdom and guidance for me. With these words I must leave you, for how long I know not."

It was to be forever; but the influence of the man had left its impress deep upon his State, and was to leave it before he died as deeply upon the Nation.

On his way to Washington he spoke on a number of occasions and was decidedly guarded in all of his speeches. The South was menacing: it would have been a very short-sighted man who could not have foretold that war was inevitable, but Lincoln would do nothing to hasten the "irrepressible conflict." There would not be bloodshed unless it was forced upon the Government and then the Government would only fight in self-defence. But self-defence meant defence of the Union, and that in time could only mean carrying the war into the seceding States.

The South was thoroughly roused against this new President who was speaking with no uncertain voice. Many were hoping that he would never reach Wash

ington, and a plot was set on foot to assassinate him on the journey. He was to be slain as he passed through Baltimore, but the authorities at Washington were aware of the plot and took every means to guard against a tragedy. The great detective Allan Pinkerton was engaged, ferreted out the details of this plot and so arranged matters that Lincoln arrived safely at Washington. There is not a shadow of doubt but that an attempt would have been made on his life had he passed through Baltimore according to his first arrangements. When he reached Washington he found that old General Scott had everything in readiness to protect him. There was serious danger that a calamity might occur on the Fourth of March but ample guards were posted through the city and the presence of so many troops prevented Southern sympathisers from attacking the President on the day of his inauguration. The following account of this great inauguration by an eye-witness is well worth perusal.

"The attendance was unusually small, many being kept away by anticipated disturbance, as it had been rumoured-truly, too-that General Scott himself was fearful of an outbreak, and had made all possible military preparations to meet the emergency. A square platform had been built out from the steps to the eastern portico, with benches for distinguished spectators on three sides. Douglas, the only one I recognised, sat at the extreme end of the seat on the right of the narrow passage leading from the steps. There was no delay, and the gaunt form of the President-elect was soon visible, slowly making his way to the front. To me, at least, he was completely metamorphosed-partly by his own fault, and partly through the efforts of injudicious

friends and ambitious tailors. He was raising (to gratify a very young lady it is said) a crop of whiskers, of the blacking brush variety, coarse, stiff and ungraceful; and in so doing spoiled, or at least seriously impaired, a face which, though never handsome, had in its original state a peculiar power and pathos. On the present occasion the whiskers were reinforced by brand new clothes from top to toe; black dress-coat, instead of the usual frock, black cloth or satin vest, black pantaloons, and a glossy hat evidently just out of the box. To cap the climax of novelty, he carried a huge ebony cane, with a gold head the size of an egg. In these, to him, strange habiliments, he looked so miserably uncomfortable that I could not help pitying him. Reaching the platform his discomfort was visibly increased by not knowing what to do with hat and cane; and so he stood there, the target for ten thousand eyes, holding cane in one hand and hat in the other, the very picture of helpless embarrassment. After some hesitation he pushed the cane into a corner of the railing, but could not find a place for the hat except on the floor, where I could see he did not like to risk it. Douglas, who fully took in the situation, came to the rescue of his old friend and rival, and held the precious hat until the owner needed it again; a service which, if predicted two years before, would probably have astonished him. The oath of office was administered by Chief Justice Taney, whose black robe, attenuated figure, and cadaverous countenance reminded me of a galvanised corpse. Then the President came forward, and read his inaugural address in a clear and distinct voice. It was attentively listened to by all, but the closest listener was Douglas, who leaned forward as if to catch every

word, nodding his head emphatically at those passages which pleased him most."

His address was worded with great judgment. It was the utterance of a man who desired peace, but dreaded that the sword could alone bring peace. He made no threat against the South, he spoke of the mistaken States with kindness and tenderness. He Iwas not at this time oversure of himself and was

carefully feeling his way. The first draft of his address had in it expressions that would certainly have irritated the hot-headed Southerners, but knowing his own inexperience he had submitted his address to Seward, and Seward had made a number of excellent suggestions and a few changes.

It has been said of Lincoln that his "nomination was a triumph of availability and local enthusiasm assisted by unexpected circumstances over great merit and still greater popularity." Seward may have had the greater merit, a cool head and a cultivated mind, but he was not the man for this critical time in his country's life. Lincoln would almost seem to have been peculiarly raised up by heaven to see his nation through this great crisis. But he had much to learn and he was not unwilling to learn from Seward. However when Seward attempted to be the power behind the throne and manage Lincoln he found that he was working with a stronger man, a greater diplomat, and a keener intellect than himself, and was content to take a second part in the government of his country.

Lincoln had a somewhat difficult task, considering the times and the men available, to select a cabinet, but he made his own cabinet and made it with excellent judgment. William H. Seward, of New York, was his Secretary of State; Salmon P. Chase,

of Ohio, Secretary of the Treasury; Simon Cameron, of Pennsylvania, Secretary of War; Gideon Welles, of Connecticut, Secretary of the Navy; Caleb B. Smith, of Indiana, Secretary of the Interior; Edward Bates of Missouri, Attorney-General; Montgomery Blair, of Maryland, Postmaster-General. Secretary Chase resigned in 1864 and was succeeded by William P. Fessenden, of Maine; Secretary Cameron was almost immediately appointed Minister to Russia and Edwin M. Stanton became Lincoln's vigorous and energetic war minister. Secretary Smith was created a judge, and John P. Usher, of Indiana, became Secretary of the Interior. Attorney-General Bates and Postmaster-General Blair both resigned in the last year of the administration and were succeeded by James Speed of Kentucky and William Dennison of Ohio.

Lincoln had used excellent judgment in his selection of a cabinet. It was necessary to hold the Federal party together and to do this he had to work wisely with both Seward and Chase, but while he elevated them to the first positions in his cabinet he soon let them see that he was no tool in their hands.

In his inaugural address he had pleaded with the South for peace. "In your hands," he said, "my dissatisfied countrymen, and not in mine is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have a most solemn one to preserve, protect and defend it."

On the day

His words only irritated the South. following his address instead of learning that there was a hope of still preserving the Union without war,