he Hallecks are great men in the sight of
Abraham Lincoln, and of all who profess and call themselves
Lincolnites, and the rest stand around wondering and agape:

_Conticuere omnes intentique ora (asinina) tenebant._

Stanton's magnificent report states that there are about 700,000 men
under arms; yet this tremendous force is paralysed by the inactivity
of most of the generals; those in the West, however, forming a
bright and truly honorable exception. But, to be candid, how can
activity and dash be expected from generals who have at their head,
a shallow brained pedant like Halleck? Napoleon had about 500,000
men, when, in between four and five months, he marched from the
Rhine to Moscow. Yet he had the aid of no railroad, on land, no
steam, that practical annihilator of distance, no electric
telegraph, with which to be in all but instantaneous communication
with his distant generals, and had not similar material resources.

_Dec. 10._--Mr. Seward's long correspondence with Mr. Adams shows to
Europe that Mr. Seward imitated the rebels, and tried to frighten
England with the bugbear of King Cotton; and also that he has no
solid and abiding convictions whatever. Now, he preaches
emancipation, yet, at the beginning of his _great_ diplomatic
activity, he openly sided with slavery; aye, he is still willing to
save it for the sake of the Union, and, above all, and before all,
for his own chances for the next Presidency.

_Dec. 10._--Burnside has finally crossed the Rappahannock. Of course
I do not know the respective positions. But I am sure that if the
rebels have not a perfectly enormous advantage of position, and if
the leading of the generals be worthy of the courage of their men,
the victory must be ours. Oh! were all our generals Hookers, and not
Burnsides!

General McDowell's Court of Inquiry produces some strange revelations.
The inquiry will not end in making a thorough general of McDowell. He
may have been somewhat unfortunate, no doubt; but his want of good
fortune was at least equalled by his want of good generalship. I, and
many others besides, were quite mistaken in our early estimate of
McDowell. He should not so easily have swallowed the second Bull Run.
He should at least have been wounded, if only ever so slightly; his
best friends must wish that. But to be defeated, and come out without
even a scratch! What a digestion the man must have for the hardest
kinds of humiliation! But neither the Presiden