white, and empowering the Legislature to confer the elective franchise upon the colored men.

"The Legislature has already voted to ratify the Constitutional amendment recently passed by Congress, abolishing slavery throughout the Union, perpetuated freedom in the State, committed to the very things, and nearly all the things the nation wants, and they ask the nation's recognition and assistance to make this committal.

"We have rejected and spurned them; we do our utmost to disorganize and disperse them. We, in fact, say to the white man, 'you are worthless and worse; we will never help you, nor be helped by you.' To the blacks we say, 'This cup of liberty, which these your old masters held to your lips, we will dash from you, and leave you to the chances of gathering the spilled and scattered contents in some vague and indefinite when, where and how.'

"If this course of discouraging and paralyzing both the white and black has any tendency to bring Louisiana to her proper fractional relations with the Union, I have so far been unable to perceive it; if, on the contrary, we recognize and sustain the new Government of Louisiana no converse of all this is made true. We encourage the hearts and nerve the arms of 12,000 to adhere to their work, and argue for it, and fight for it, and feed it, and govern it, and repair it to complete success.

"The colored man, too, in seeing all united for time, is inspired with vigilance and energy, and doing to the same end. Grant that he desires the elective franchise, will he not attain it sooner by saving the already advanced steps toward it than by moving backwards over

them? Concede what the new Government of Louisiana is only to what it should be as the egg to the fowl, and we shall sooner have the fowl by hatching the egg than by smashing it.

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Again, if we reject Louisiana; we also reject our vote in favor of the proposed amendment to the National Constitution. To meet this proposition, it has been argued that no more than three-fourths of those States which have not attempted secession are nececsary to ratify an amendment.

"I do not commit myself against this further than to say that such inference would be questionable, and sure to be persistently questioned, which the ratification by three-fourths of all the States would be unquestioned and unquestionable.

"I repeat the question; can Louisiana be brought into her proper political relation with the Union by discarding her new State Government? That which has been said of Louisiana will apply to the other States, and yet so great peculiarities pertain to each State, and such important sudden changes in the same State, and withal so new and unprecedented to the whole case, that no exclusive and inflexible plan can safely be prescribed as to the details of collaterals.

"Each exclusive and inflexible plan would surely become a new entanglement. Important. principles may and must be inflexible. I am considering, and shall not fail to act when satisfied that action will be proper."

The news of the surrender of Lee and his army made the peace loving masses of New Orleans shout for joy as they united their voices in praise of their Leader, the army and navy. The Star Spangled banner floated

from the public buildings of the city, and from many of the private residences. The leading Union men assembled upon Lafayette Square-which was almost enveloped with the emblems of Liberty and alive with the glad strains of the National airs—to speak in accents of praise and affection of Abraham Lincoln, who had carried the Nation safely through the dark waters of the rebellion, and landed it on the peaceful shores of Liberty.

At the close of the meeting Dostie stepped upon the platform and exclaimed,-"Let the air ring with cheers for Liberty-our glorious Lincoln-the Army and Navy." The enthusiastic crowd responded, and a shout of gladness arose from that vast multitude in honor of victory. Alas! at that moment the nation's martyr was silent in death! On the morning of the 20th of April, calmness had succeeded enthusiastic joy. New Orleans was quiet and peaceful, when suddenly the cry was heard in the streets, "President Lincoln is assassinated!" ""Tis false! It is a false report of our enemies!" was heard from every quarter. The morning papers, however, announced the telegraphic dispatch with their columns clad in the emblems of mourning. Joy was turned into woe.

Gloom hung over the city like a sombre pall. The public mind seemed filled with universal sorrow. All joined in condemning the terrible crime which had clad in mourning the Nation. Public business was suspended. The flags, at half mast, were hung with black. The Public Schools were closed, and their flags hung with the emblems of mourning. The military and navy headquarters, City Hall, Custom House, the principal

hotels, churches, public buildings and private residences. threw out the National emblems hung with the tokens of sorrow. Ships of all nations lowered their flags, which were draped in tokens of mourning for the Nation's loss. The bells all over the city-tremulous with sadness, tolled their funeral chimes. Lincoln had been snatched from the Nation's embrace, in the hour of universal joy. He had fallen gazing at the Star of peace, that appeared in the horizon as the clouds of the rebellion rolled away.

The great national bereavement fell with crushing weight upon the hearts of those in New Orleans who had cherished the noble acts of their liberty-loving leader. Said Judge Howell at a meeting organized to take some action for expressing in a public manner the feeling of the community: "Let us turn our hearts to the Almighty; may He in His wisdom look upon us and be with us in this great calamity." Said Mr. Waples: "This sad news is so shocking to humanity, that I feel that words can avail nothing. Let us endeavor to be calm under this terrible calamity." Said Judge Durell, upon being called upon to grant the motion of adjournment of the United States District Court: "This sorrow is so great and opens a future so vast, affecting not only ourselves, but those who come after us-affecting the whole framework of our Government, that I do not find this a fit occasion to speak of it." Said Dr. Dostie: "I can never cease to mourn the great and good Lincoln. Who in the nation can fill his place? My heart is full of woe when I attempt to look into the future."

Through the influence of Dr. Dostie and his co-laborers in the School Board, the Public Schools were closed for

one week, in token of respect to the memory of President Lincoln. The following published notice from the loyal Superintendent of the Public Schools, appeared in the city papers:

OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS,

NEW ORLEANS, April 21,

The Public Schools of New Orleans were reopened almost immediately after the revival of the national authority-in the midst of civil war-under the auspices of the good President whose melancholy departure our country now laments. That this cherished institution, therefore, may render grateful tribute to the memory of the illustrious dead, and that there may be due utterance to the unfeigned sorrow of all connected therewith over the parricidal act, by which a stricken people, yet in "the valley of the shadow of death," has been deprived of its faithful friend and guide, the flags of the respective schools will be appropriately displayed, and such other expressions of mourning observed as may be practicable, for thirty days from the morning of Saturday, the 22d inst.

JOHN B. CARTER, Superintendent of Public Schools. Upon the announcement of the death of President Lincoln, the officers of the Army and Navy of the Gulf Department assembled at the City Hall to make arrangements to attend Christ's Church, on the following Sabbath, to pay tribute to the memory of President Lincoln.

The following is a brief account of that solemn scene, taken from the columns of the New Orleans Daily Picayune:

According to previous arrangement, the officers of the Army and Navy stationed in this Department attended Christ Church on Sunday morning, in full uniform.