or thee was shed,
Whose angel choirs, celestial, hover nigh!
Joy! Joy! No longer weep:
Rich harvests shalt thou reap,
Whose seeds, in tears and anguish sown,
With bounteous rapture thy rich feasts shall crown,
When, rising to fulfil thy destiny,
Thou leadest the nations on to Peace and Liberty.

X.

Hail then to thee, great day,
Bright herald of the coming sway
Of Truth immortal and immortal Love--
Uplift in fuller strains thy voice,
Call all the nations to rejoice,
And grasp thy olive--Time's long-promised dove!
No longer tempest-tost,
Redeem dark ages lost;
And may the work by thee begun
Ne'er pause nor falter 'till yon rising sun
Beholds the flag of Promise, now unfurled
'Neath Freedom's conquering smile, extending o'er the world.

THE SURRENDER OF FORTS JACKSON AND ST. PHILIP, ON THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI.

A complete history of the bombardment and subsequent surrender of Forts
Jackson and St. Philip, and of the brilliant passage of our fleet up the
Mississippi river, which resulted in the capitulation of New Orleans, is
yet wanting, to afford the public a full comprehension of all the
attendant circumstances, respecting which there appears to have been
some misunderstanding. The daring exploit of running by the forts must
be recorded as another evidence of the historic valor and coolness of
the American navy. No less renown will attach in future times to the
bombardment of the forts by the mortar fleet, conducted as it was
entirely on scientific principles, and proving the efficiency of
mortars, when used with discretion and with a knowledge of the
localities. The great destruction in the forts was only fully
ascertained after the surrender, and shows that the success of the
fleet, in passing them safely, depended, in a great measure, upon the
inability of greater resistance on the part of Fort Jackson.

A number of vessels, comprising the 'Western Gulf Squadron,' were
commanded by comparatively young officers, and that very important
branch of the same, the mortar flotilla, was mostly under the individual
guidance of captains (acting masters) selected from the merchant marine.
It became necessary for the navy department to select a
commander-in-chief (flag officer) and a commander for the mortar
flotilla, possessed of such qualities as to manage and render effective
the various branches of this peculiar combination of armed v