proceedings of the banquet given to our late
Minister, Bigelow, in which you will see my remarks on the great
enterprise with which your name will forever be so honorably associated
and justly immortalized."

It will be remembered, that the Atlantic cable was finally successfully
laid on July 27, 1866, and that to Cyrus Field, more than to any other
man, was this wonderful achievement due.

In a letter of March 4, 1867, to John S.C. Abbott, Esq., Morse gives the
following interesting incident in the life of Napoleon III:--

"In 1837, I was one of a club of gentlemen in New York who were
associated for social and informal intellectual converse, which held
weekly meetings at each other's houses in rotation. Most of these
distinguished men are now deceased. The club consisted of such men as
Chancellor Kent, Albert Gallatin, Peter Augustus Jay, Reporter Johnson,
Dr. (afterwards Bishop) Wainwright, the President and Professors of
Columbia College, the Chancellor and Professors of the New York City
University, Dr. Augustus Smith, Messrs. Goodhue and De Rham of the
mercantile class, and John C. Hamilton, Esq. and ex-Governor W.B.
Lawrence from the literary ranks.

"Among the rules of the club was one permitting any member to introduce
to the meetings distinguished strangers visiting the city. At one of the
reunions of the club the place of meeting was at Chancellor Kent's. On
assembling the chancellor introduced to us Louis Napoleon, a son of the
ex-King of Holland, a young man pale and contemplative, somewhat
reserved. This reserve we generally attributed to a supposed imperfect
acquaintance with our language. At supper he sat on the right of the
Chancellor at the head of the table. Mr. Gallatin was opposite the
Chancellor at the foot of the table, and I was on his right.

"In the course of the evening, while the conversation was general, I drew
the attention of Mr. Gallatin to the stranger, observing that I did not
trace any resemblance in his features to his world-renowned uncle, yet
that his forehead indicated great intellect. 'Yes,' replied Mr. Gallatin,
'there is a great deal in that head of his, but he has a strange fancy.
Can you believe it, he has the impression that he will one day be the
Emperor of the French; can you conceive of anything more ridiculous?'

"Certainly at that period, even to the sagacious eye of Mr. Gallatin,
such an idea would naturally seem too improbable to be entertained for a
moment, but,