arded to you, commemorative of that gift. It
is now my pleasing duty to forward the medal to you accordingly.
I avail myself of the occasion to express a hope that it may
prove acceptable, and also to congratulate you upon the proud
consciousness, which you cannot fail to cherish, of having, by
the act referred to, rendered your country a signal service at a
critical period in its history.

I am, Sir, your very obedient servant,
William H. SEWARD.

_____

_Cornelius Vanderbilt to the Secretary of State._

To the Honorable
William H. SEWARD, New York, May 3rd, 1866.
Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.

Sir: Your communication of the 17th of April ult., informing me
that the Congress of the United States had, by their resolution
of the 28th of January, 1864, tendered to me their thanks for the
gift of the steamer "Vanderbilt," and requested the President to
cause a gold medal to be struck and forwarded to me in
commemoration of the gift, has been placed in my hands.

I have also received the medal, together with an attested copy of
the resolution in compliance with which you have caused it to be
transmitted.

You have been pleased to express the hope that the medal would be
acceptable to me, with your congratulations for the consciousness
which you consider I cannot fail to cherish of having, by the act
which its presentation commemorates, rendered a service to my
country at a critical period in its history.

Permit me, Sir, to return my acknowledgment for this (p. 409)
national recognition of the act referred to, and to express the
satisfaction with which I have received this generous token of
remembrance. It may not be inappropriate for me to refer to the
transaction which gave rise to the resolve of Congress which your
Department has now so gracefully executed.

About the year 1856, I formed the design and commenced the work
of a steamship for the purpose of demonstrating that individual
enterprise could, without the aid of governmental encouragement,
place upon the ocean steamships equal at least in magnitude,
power and speed, to any which had been constructed under
governmental patronage and protection in any part of the wor