oubt that you will send them,--I could
fight the enemy and proceed up the lake; but, having no one to command
the _Majestic_ and only one commissioned officer and two acting
lieutenants, whatever my wishes may be, getting out is out of the
question. The men that came by Mr. Champlin are a motley set,--blacks,
soldiers, and boys. I can not think that you saw them after they were
selected. I am, however, pleased to see anything in shape of a man."

The following is the reply from Commodore Chauncey to Commodore Perry in
answer to the above letter: "Sir, I have been duly honored with your
letters of the 23d and 26th ultimo and notice your anxiety for men and
officers. I am equally anxious to furnish you; and no time shall be lost
in sending officers and men to you as soon as the public service will
allow me to send them from this lake. I regret that you are not pleased
with the men sent you by Messrs. Champlin and Forest; for, to my
knowledge, a part of them are not surpassed by any seamen we have in the
fleet; and I have yet to learn that the color of skin, or the cut and
trimmings of the coat, can affect a man's qualifications and usefulness.

"I have nearly fifty blacks on board this ship, and many of them are
among my best men, and I presume that you will find them as good and
useful as any on board your vessel; at least if you can judge by
comparison; for those which we have on board this ship are attentive and
obedient, and, as far as I can judge, are excellent seamen. At any rate,
the men sent to Lake Erie have been selected with the view of sending a
proportion of petty officers and seamen and I presume upon examination,
it will be found that they are equal to those upon this lake."

THE COLORED MAN IN THE MEXICAN WAR.

In the Mexican War (1845-1848) we find him, in his humble positions of
service and usefulness, a positive factor in the final success and
triumph of American ideals. No insidious treacheries, no dark plots of
poison, arson and unfaithfulness characterized his conduct, and, in the
final and complete blockade of the Mexican ports, his contribution of
faithful and loyal service made effective the terms by which Generals
Scott and Taylor taught the ever-observed lesson of American dominance
upon the Western Hemisphere and thereby preserved the Monroe Doctrine.

IN THE DAYS OF THE CIVIL WAR.

In the Civil War--when the violence of domestic strife menaced the
continuance of the National Union; wh