1861.

From a photograph loaned by Mr. Frank A. Brown of Minneapolis,
Minnesota. This beautiful photograph was taken, probably early in
1861, by Alexander Hesler of Chicago. It was used by Leonard W. Volk,
the sculptor, in his studies of Lincoln, and closely resembles the
fine etching by T. Johnson.]

"'I am very glad to meet you, Mr. McDonough, and am grateful to Kelley
for bringing you in so early, for I want you to tell me something
about Shakespeare's plays as they are constructed for the stage. You
can imagine that I do not get much time to study such matters, but I
recently had a couple of talks with Hackett--Baron Hackett, as they
call him--who is famous as Jack Falstaff, but from whom I elicited few
satisfactory replies, though I probed him with a good many questions.'

"Mr. McDonough," continues Mr. Kelley, "avowed his willingness to give
the President any information in his possession, but protested that
he feared he would not succeed where his friend Hackett had failed.
'Well, I don't know,' said the President, 'for Hackett's lack of
information impressed me with a doubt as to whether he had ever
studied Shakespeare's text, or had not been content with the acting
edition of his plays.' He arose, went to a shelf not far from his
table, and having taken down a well-thumbed volume of the 'Plays
of Shakespeare,' resumed his seat, arranged his glasses, and having
turned to 'Henry VI.' and read with fine discrimination an extended
passage, said: 'Mr. McDonough, can you tell me why those lines
are omitted from the acting play? There is nothing I have read in
Shakespeare, certainly nothing in 'Henry VI.' or the 'Merry Wives of
Windsor,' that surpasses its wit and humor.' The actor suggested the
breadth of its humor as the only reason he could assign for omission,
but thoughtfully added that it was possible that if the lines were
spoken they would require the rendition of another or other passages
which might be objectionable.

[Illustration: THE STATE-HOUSE AT VANDALIA, ILLINOIS--NOW USED AS A
COURT-HOUSE.

Vandalia was the State capital of Illinois for twenty years, and three
different State-houses were built and occupied there. The first,
a two-story frame structure, was burned down December 9, 1823. The
second was a brick building, and was erected at a cost of $12,381.50,
of which the citizens of Vandalia contributed $3,000. The agitation
for the removal of the capital to Springfield began in 1833, and in
t