LETTERS TO MR. JOHN TAYLOR. 267 



ignorant Irish and Germans ; but more still, and princi- 

 pally, by the very injudicious decision of the friends of Mr. 

 Fillmore to run him on the course, and by his still more 

 injudicious consent to stand. It was easy to foresee that, 

 while his election by the people was impossible, it was very 

 probable that he would draw off so many votes from Fre- 

 mont as to defeat him, and such has been the result ; 

 while Buchanan comes in by a decided minority of popular 



votes There is no depression of spirits in the 



Republican party. The people of all the Free States, ex- 

 cepting four, have given such vast majorities as to afford a 

 strong assurance that another Olympiad will place the Free 

 States in the ascendant. There is very little exultation in 

 the victorious party ; and Mr. Buchanan will have no very 

 enviable position, with a multitude of retainers to gratify ; 

 with the heavy pressure of the slave interest upon him ; 

 and a powerful and increasing opposition. I do not know 

 him personally ; he is said to be a mild man, and some 

 predict that he will seek credit by doing well : sed timeo 

 Danaos et dona ferentes. It is very possible that the result 

 which you predict may come, and I should much prefer it 

 to having slavery nationalized and the slave-trade (foreign 

 African) revived, which is now loudly demanded by many 

 Southern presses. But we must not forget that you and I 

 may not live to see the result of the conflict now sustained 

 between freedom and slavery, and your wise and devout 

 reference to the overruling providence of God, is very 

 timely, and meets my cordial assent ; and here, at least for 

 the present, I will leave this painful and agitating sub- 

 ject 



TO MR. JOHN TAYLOR. 



NEW HAVEN, December 27, 1856. 



THE strong interest which you always manifest 



in the welfare of this country, will demand that I say some- 

 thing of the present posture of affairs. It is not regarded 



