ion was a sham--that the Government dared not put him to death;
and that, to avoid disclosures, a man of straw was hung in his place. In
proof of this assertion, it was gravely and strongly alleged that Kidd
had been seen alive and well, many years afterward, by those who could
not be mistaken as to his identity. I think there is no doubt, however,
of his having been honestly hung at 'Execution Dock,' in London, on the
12th of May, 1701. Yet, when compared with the nobler villains, Lolonois
and Morgan, Kidd must have been a pirate upon an insignificant scale--a
mere bottle imp by the side of Satan, as portrayed in stupendous
grandeur by Milton!

FOOTNOTES:

[B] An indulgence was never granted in advance of any crime yet to be
committed. It was simply a remission or commutation of a part of the
temporal penalty attached to crime, after the sin itself had been
repented, confessed, renounced, and forgiven. Two millions of Papal
bulls!!!--_Ed._

[C] See CONTINENTAL for June, 1863.

UNDER THE PALMETTO.

On Saturday, the 31st of January, 1863, the steamer 'S.R. Spaulding,'
flagship of General Foster's fleet, left the harbor of Morehead City, N.
C., on a supposed expedition to some point on the Southern coast. For
two days we had watched from her deck the long procession of vessels
moving slowly round Fort Macon, and then, with all sails set, or under
full head of steam, passing proudly on in their southward course. Only
those who have witnessed such scenes can realize the eager interest and
intense excitement which attend the preparation for a naval expedition.
Then, too, there were glories of the past to kindle hope and stimulate
ambition. The successes of Burnside, Du Pont, and Farragut were fresh in
memory, and why should not we win new laurels for the old flag, and
place our commander's name high on the list of fame? And so, with
feelings of pride and expectation, we gladly saw the shores of North
Carolina with their forests of pines recede from sight, as, under a
cloudless sky and over a waveless sea, we glided on toward the hated
mother State of the rebellion.

The sequel of the 'Foster Expedition' is well known. We anchored, on the
2d of February, in the capacious harbor of Port Royal, and were flagship
no longer. Fortunately, the long interval between our arrival and the
final departure for Charleston under another commander, gave abundant
opportunities for studying new phases of life and character, and