cial markets of Europe. It was also understood that no little
anxiety was felt at the French court, then at Compiegne. It was
manifestly desirable to allay so far as possible this undue excitement
in the public mind. Hence I availed myself of an early opportunity,
given by the American Thanksgiving dinner at the Grand Hotel, to
intimate in unmistakable terms that my mission, if any, was one
entirely friendly to the people of France.

SPEECHMAKING AT THE AMERICAN THANKSGIVING DINNER

The following is a part of the account of that banquet given by
the Paris correspondent of the "New York Herald," under date of
December 8, 1865:

"The American residents and transient sojourners in Paris celebrated
the national Thanksgiving by a grand dinner at the Grand Hotel,
which passed off in splendid style. . . . The next toast was the
long-looked-for-one of the evening, for it was known that it would
call up a distinguished guest from whom all were anxious to hear.
It was "The Army and Navy of the United States." When the band
had ceased playing "Yankee Doodle," Major-General Schofield rose
to reply to this toast, and was received with tremendous enthusiasm.
The ladies rose and waved their handkerchiefs, and gentlemen shouted
until they were hoarse. The general, after bowing his acknowledgments,
said: 'Fellow-countrymen--I want words to express to you the
satisfaction which will be felt in the heart of every soldier and
sailor when he learns the manner in which the names of the army
and navy have been received by you to-night. I will at this time
allude but briefly to one of the great lessons taught by the American
war--the grandest lesson of modern times. A great people who have
heretofore lived under a government so mild that they were scarcely
aware of its existence have found, in time of war, that government
to be one of the strongest in the world [cheers], raising and
maintaining armies and navies vaster than any ever before known
[cheers]. In point of character, in point of physical and moral
qualities, in point of discipline and of mobility in large masses,
the armies of the United States have never before been equaled
[loud cheers]. Yet this, great as it is, is not the greatest wonder
of the American war. This vast army, as soon as its work was done,
was quietly disbanded, and every man went to his home, as quietly
as the Christian goes back from church on Sabbath morning; and each
so