been strongly urged on the ground of "persistent
disobedience of orders and neglect of duty." Firmly convinced, as I am,
of the patriotism of your motives, I am unwilling to do anything in your
case which may seem unnecessarily harsh or at variance with the feelings
of personal respect and esteem with which I have always regarded you. I
consider your services in your district valuable, and should be sorry to
lose them. It is unnecessary for me to state, however, that when
differences of opinion arise between officers of the government, the
ranking officer must be obeyed. You of course recognize as clearly as I
do the importance of this rule. I hope you will conclude to go on in
your present position under the regulations of the department. I wish
you would write to me.

_Letter to Mrs. Lincoln. Washington. August 8, 1863_

My dear Wife, All as well as usual, and no particular trouble anyway. I
put the money into the Treasury at five per cent., with the privilege of
withdrawing it any time upon thirty days' notice. I suppose you are glad
to learn this. Tell dear Tad poor "Nanny Goat" is lost, and Mrs.
Cuthbert and I are in distress about it. The day you left Nanny was
found resting herself and chewing her little cud on the middle of Tad's
bed; but now she's gone! The gardener kept complaining that she
destroyed the flowers, till it was concluded to bring her down to the
White House. This was done, and the second day she had disappeared and
has not been heard of since. This is the last we know of poor "Nanny."

_Letter to James H. Hackett. Washington. August 17, 1863_

My dear Sir, Months ago I should have acknowledged the receipt of your
book and accompanying kind note; and I now have to beg your pardon for
not having done so.

For one of my age I have seen very little of the drama. The first
presentation of Falstaff I ever saw was yours here, last winter or
spring. Perhaps the best compliment I can pay is to say, as I truly can,
I am very anxious to see it again. Some of Shakespeare's plays I have
never read; while others I have gone over perhaps as frequently as any
unprofessional reader. Among the latter are _Lear_, _Richard III._,
_Henry VIII._, _Hamlet_, and especially _Macbeth_. I think nothing
equals _Macbeth_. It is wonderful.

Unlike you gentlemen of the profession, I think the soliloquy in
_Hamlet_ commencing "Oh, my offence is rank," surpasses that commencing
"To be or not to be." But par