y one
seemed satisfied that the South would somehow or other gain the day, and
become an independent nation.

While in Richmond I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the
talented correspondent of the 'Times,' who, although in a position to
look on calmly at passing events, was so carried away by his admiration
of the wonderful pluck shown by the Southerners, and by the general
enthusiasm of the people among whom he lived, that he allowed himself to
be buoyed up with the hope that something would eventually turn up in
their favour, and in his letters never seemed to despair. Had he done
otherwise he would have stood alone, so he swam with the tide; whereas
all of us, especially those who were mere lookers-on, should have seen
the end coming months before we were obliged to open our eyes to the
fact that it was come. Through his acquaintance with the big-wigs, we
managed to get a few of them to accept an invitation to a feed, as we
could offer luxuries such as could not be found in Richmond.

Some of the first men in the Confederacy honoured us with their
company, and made themselves uncommonly agreeable, seeming quite a jolly
set of fellows. I fear that they have nearly all come to grief since
then, except Mr. Benjamin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who before
his death, which occurred several years after the time that I write,
made himself a name in England worthy of his high talents and education.

I had the honour, while in Richmond, of being invited to a tea party by
Mrs. Davis, the President's wife, which I thought very interesting. The
ladies were all dressed in deep mourning; some (the greater part) for
the sad reason that they had lost near and dear relatives in the
wretched war; the others, I suppose, were in mourning for their
country's misfortunes. Mrs. Davis moved about the room saying something
civil to every one, while the President, though a stern-looking man who
never smiled, tried to make himself agreeable to his guests, and gave
one the idea of a thorough gentleman. I saw there military officers who
had lately come from the front, surrounded by groups of people anxious
for news; delegates from distant seceding States; messengers from Hood's
army, about which many were beginning to be anxious; sympathising
foreigners, government officials, and many others. The whole of the
conversation naturally related to the prospects of the cause, and no one
would have guessed from what he heard in Pre