disposed persons, not
having the fear of God before their eyes, and representing themselves
as citizens of the American Republic, have come into this country with
ill intent, and have, in defiance of law and order, held sundry
meetings for the purpose of conspiring against the peace of the State
and safety of the throne; and whereas the said persons herein set
forth have, since their landing on our beloved soil, conducted
themselves in a manner so riotous as to cause suspicion of their
deliberations, be it known to all concerned in this mysterious
gathering, that by this my proclamation I forbid the holding of any
such assemblies; and further, that unless that now in deliberation be
at once dispersed, the persons found engaged in it will be dealt with
according to the law made and provided for the punishment of vagrants
in general. Signed and sealed with our hands, &c., &c.' Need I say
that the reading this proclamation created a wonderful sensation,
which was here and there interspersed with marks of contempt for its
authority. The Chair, I insinuated, would await any remarks. Mr.
Buckhanan immediately rose, and proposed that we bow to the authority,
and move to a more congenial atmosphere. Messrs. Souley, Belmont
(having come back), and Jackson, rose to oppose. The King's Messenger
also rose: seeing the first symptoms of a powerful opposition
manifesting itself, he would warn gentlemen of the Congress that it
was of no use--they must move on! By way of adding tone to his demand,
he intimated that it might be necessary to motion his guard. As things
began to look rather squally, I said the Chair would like to say a few
words, provided Monsieur Souley did not interrupt, and was perfectly
willing to yield the floor. That gentleman firmly declined; adding
that he stood upon the order of his reputation, nor would ever yield
to Pierce, Marcy, and the King of the Dutch thrown in. He firmly
believed it a trick of Marcy's own; he was known to be in league with
the Queen of Spain, Louis Napoleon, and the Dutch King, with whom he
had compromised the Gibson case. Mr. O'Sullivan, with good logic
clothed in very bad English, now rose to the rescue, and was fortunate
enough to hit upon the identical expedient by which we all got
honorably out of a very bad affair. He proposed (Mr. Souley continued
talking) that it being evident to this Congress that insurmountable
difficulties of a local character having arisen, thereby impeding the