end of the avenue, I was told that the President was engaged, and his servants declined to convey my name to him. I allude to this subject, not because I suppose that the influence of this marshal extends so far as to exclude me from the Executive mansion, as well as from the jail, but as the reason why I state publicly here what I intended to state privately there.

In the discipline of the penitentiary of the District Mr. Grimes recommended a reform, so that prisoners, for good conduct while in prison, should receive a deduction of a month in each year from their term of sentence.

Such a system (he said, June 6th) prevails in a great many States, in Ohio, in Iowa, in Indiana, with the most beneficial results. It is an inducement to a prisoner to behave well and work well. It is no pardoning power, but a curtailment of the judgment of the

court.

70.-To Commodore S. F. Du Pont.

WASHINGTON, February 9, 1862.

I was sorry to learn, a few days ago, that you felt some chagrin at the fact that the resolution tendering to you and to the officers under your command the thanks of Congress for your exploit at Port Royal had not been acted upon. As I am alone responsible for everything in relation to it, I will tell you exactly what the facts were.

The highest honor we can confer at present upon any naval officer is a vote of thanks. To make such honors worth anything they must not be too common or cheap. Knowing that several resolutions of similar import, but for small affairs, were to be offered, I determined to forestall the action of the Senate by setting the example of referring such resolutions to the Committee on Naval Affairs, and thus get the control of them. Accordingly, I introduced the resolutions of thanks to you, and suffered them to remain quietly in the committee, smothering similar resolutions to others, until the sentiment of the Senate on such subjects should become a little rectified. In the mean time, the bill for retirement of old officers became a law, and since then I have waited for the President's recommendation, which would also, if acted upon, place you permanently on the active list. That came to us day before yesterday, and yesterday we passed the resolutions of thanks by a unanimous

vote. There will be no difficulty whatever about its passage through the House of Representatives. You will, I trust, perceive that so far from there being the slightest disposition to ignore or slumber over the merits of your case, I have acted solely with a view to subserve your individual interests, and at the same time to advance the good of the service.

We are now all rejoicing over Foote's success in Tennessee. We are much more hopeful than we have been, and I fancy that I can see the end to the rebellion. The army is sore and a little dispirited at the naval successes, while they achieve none. May God bless and prosper you in all your efforts!

Commodore Du Pont wrote in reply:

WABASH, PORT ROYAL, February 23, 1862. Your great kindness has made a deep impression on me. It has been no trait of mine to "court honor," and I can truly say visions of distinction formed no part or lot in my motives of action. To serve my country, do my duty, and meet the expectations of those who had given me the opportunity, have been the incentives uppermost in my mind. Yet I believe this temperament and such impulses are in no way inconsistent with feelings of profound gratitude and pride at the high distinction which has been awarded me, and which I owe to your kind instrumentality.

I am off to-morrow with a large division of my squadron to complete my work on the lower coast, and, if God is with us, in some three weeks I hope to hold everything by an inside or outside blockade from Cape Canaveral to Georgetown, South Carolina. Our hearts have been gladdened by the news from the North. Porter came in to-day on his way to the Gulf, and gave us the account of the surrender of Fort Donelson. I have never permitted any invidious feelings of rivalry with our military brethren, but we are thrilled in our esprit de corps at the deeds of the Navy, and I am sure they must be agreeable to you, as offering some return to that disinterested sympathy, guidance, and support, which you have extended to that branch of the public service since in the councils of the nation.

you took

your seat

We hear fine accounts of the Northwestern army, and Captain Rodgers had a letter from some officer in the West, who spoke of the impression made by the Iowa regiments. I thought this item,

traveling back to you from South Carolina, would not be unacceptable.

The following extract is from a letter of Commodore Du Pont, dated Wabash, off Fernandina, March 6th:

Captain Davis has in charge for you a rifle captured at Fernandina, which I desire you to do me the honor to accept. The victory was bloodless, but most complete in results. The defenses have astounded us by their capabilities, scientific location, and formidable character, with wonderful immunity from danger. Their cannon are heavy and fine; one 120-pounder rifle-gun, which they had slung in the trucks to get away with, but dropped on the beach, we have nothing to compare with. The most curious feature in the operations was the chase of a train of cars by a gunboat for one mile and a half; two soldiers being killed, the passengers rushed out into the woods, one of your late members among them, Mr. Yulee; he passed the night under a bush, and I hope had a blanket, for it was the coldest of the season.

Objecting to a change in the rules of the two Houses, Mr. Grimes said, January 29th:

I do not believe that it is proper for us to cripple the power of a minority. I have been in a minority all my life until the present time, and I am unwilling to say that when we get into executive session a two-thirds vote may prevent a minority from expressing their views, or confine them to only five minutes. I believe in publicity in our debates.

With reference to the construction of iron-clad steam-gunboats Mr. Grimes said, February 4, 1862:

I believe that the introduction of steam into naval warfare has revolutionized the whole system of coast defenses, and I do not want any better evidence of it than the success of the rebels in attacking our vessels as they pass up and down the Potomac. Nearly eight thousand shots have been fired at our vessels from their fortifications along the line of that river, and only one has been materially injured, and only three or four have been damaged at all. One of these gunboats, made sharp at the ends, and thoroughly encased in iron, with a powerful engine, would do more to defend the harbor of New York than the best fortification there

that cost this Government a million or two millions of dollars. I am in favor of this measure, not solely because I am anxious that these vessels shall be used in the present war, but because I believe they will more successfully defend the commerce of our country, and the harbors on our Atlantic seaboard (in which I, although a representative of a remote State, am as much interested as are the people living immediately along the Atlantic), than will even stone fortifications; and I would much more cheerfully vote money out of the national Treasury to build vessels of this description, and to man them, and place them in your harbors for coast defense, than I would to build stone-walls, as proposed by the Committee on Military Affairs. In my opinion, it is the only kind of coast defense that gentlemen of the Atlantic States will ultimately be compelled to rely upon.

For the disaster to the Cumberland and the Congress in Hampton Roads (March 8th) Mr. Grimes held the military branch of the Government responsible, in that they had not early organized an expedition against Norfolk, and captured the navy-yard and machine-shop there. He said, March 11th:

In no degree is the navy responsible. Upon two different occasions the navy officers have offered to go down and open the blockade of the Potomac, and upon one occasion for thirty-six hours was the flotilla under steam, prepared to go down; but a superior military officer, who undertook to control all offensive operations, refused to let it go.

A part of the blame for this disaster is perhaps due to ourselves, because we have not at an earlier day passed some appropriations to construct iron-plated ships. I congratulate myself that one of the first acts I did when I came to Congress was to introduce a resolution (January 19, 1861) calling for information in regard to iron-plated ships, initiating the very measures which the experience of the past few days has shown that it is necessary to adopt, if we will protect our sea-coast from the ravages of a hostile foe.

He said, March 27th and 28th:

There is a perfect panic in our Northern commercial cities. New York seems to think that in a few days the Merrimac is going to be seen sailing up Broadway! They have had, perhaps, some rea

son for excitement, growing out of the egress of the Merrimac from Elizabeth River; but they ought to remember that the Government has done something, and is doing something, to protect the commerce of the country and these commercial cities against any danger that may arise from the Merrimac coming out again.

It is well enough to know exactly what the department has done. In the first place, we have the Monitor. She has been tested, and in such a manner as no English or French vessel has been tested. We know exactly her capacities in actual warfare, and her sea-going capacities. We have, therefore, some basis upon which to build a system. If we go on and improve upon that foundation which the Monitor and her success seem to have laid, then we can establish something that will be creditable and useful to the country. The Monitor was built by Mr. Ericsson at his own risk. He entered upon the contract, and the Government did not agree to receive the vessel from him until she had been tested. She was on the way round to be tested upon the batteries at Pig Point and on the Potomac, when the Merrimac came out from her retreat. Then we have the Mystic and the Ironsides. In addition, the Government have contracted for four steamers, iron-clad, to be built by Captain Ericsson, upon the general plan of the Monitor, but larger and with heavier armament, each to carry two fifteeninch guns, to be delivered in four months, and two more to be delivered in five months, and another to be covered with four-inch iron; and, in addition, they have entered upon the armament of the Roanoke.

I have stated these facts in order to satisfy the public that there is not any very great danger to be apprehended from the Merrimac, and that we shall have plenty of iron-clad vessels built upon a plan which we know must be successful.

The aspersions cast on naval officers are unjust when it is said that they were opposed to the introduction of steam-vessels into the navy. It is equally unjust to say that they were opposed to the introduction of iron-clad vessels. I know something about that. I happened to be one of the first members of this body who suggested the subject, and I tried to bring the attention of the country to the necessity of having iron-clad vessels, and consulted with gentlemen of eminence in that profession, and I did not meet with one who was not enthusiastic in favor of the proposition; and it is due