Charles Witherspoon, of Petersburg, Va., among the papers of his grandfather, Commodore Harrison Cocke. Jefferson praises the patriotism of these volunteers and accepts their offer for the Governor of Virginia.

FLORIDA MAGAZINE for July, August, September, 1903, Vol. VII, Nos. 1, 2, 3, pp. 180, monthly, $1.00 yearly, 10 cents singly.

There are no papers of historical nature in these three is

ges.

NOTES AND NEWS.

LINCOLN AND HAMPTON ROADS CONFERENCE-Within the past two or three years there has been almost endless discussion as to whether Lincoln, at the famous conference, offered A. H. Stephens any terms the Confederates might wish if they would only agree to lay down their arms and abolish slavery. The evidence adduced is practically overwhelming that no such proposal was made then, but every careful observer of life and every thoughtful student of history had a feeling that there must be some foundation for the story. In the Iowa Journal for last July, G. M. Dodge advances a very plausible explanation. He proves that Lincoln did at one time make substantially this statement, but that he was speaking to Gen. Grant after the meeting with the Southern representatives. He gives two pieces of evidence: (1) conversation that he had with Gen. Rawlins in the summer of 1867; (2) an extract from Gen. Grant's memoirs. Of course the latter is the more important as the former was likely secondary being repeated to Gen. Rawlins. Gen. Grant testifies that Lincoln said that he was "Almost willing to hand them a blank sheet of paper with his signature attached for them to fill in the terms," if they would return to the union and free the negro. Mr. Dodge suggests that the two events have become a little confused in the minds of those who urge that this noble spirit was exhibited at the diplomatic meeting, and in this he must be right. It is strange though that with this testimony in our libraries no one ever stumbled across it.

THE LAST CABINET MEETING-There seems an irresistible fascination for the majority of us to get the first and the last of a series, utterly regardless of whether any importance attaches to either or not. The endless discussions as to the last

time Mr. Davis called his official advisers together have just been repeated in the press of S. C. and Ga. on the question whether the event occurred at Abbeville, S. C., or at Washington, Ga. Mr. W. P. Calhoun gives a very clear summary of the points for Abbeville. (Reprinted in Charleston News, Aug. 23, 1903, from Abbeville Press and Banner.)

The Charleston paper of Sept. 6 has an account from General S. W. Ferguson who relies pretty largely on his journal that he kept at the time. No new facts of any importance are brought out by these various contributions, but valuable local color is provided for the novelist and orator of the future.

THE NUMBER OF CONFEDERATE SOLDIERS-The November Olympian contains a very thoughtful discussion of the number of soldiers on the Southern side during our Civil War, by Gen. G. P. Thruston, of Nashville, Tennessee, being part of an address which he delivered Oct. 14, 1903, before the Society of the Army of the Cumberland in Washington. By the use of several methods of investigation he concludes that the total number of Confederates must have reached at least one million, thus again disproving the traditional Southern claim of only six hundred thousand. President Woodrow Wilson in his history of the United States gives nine hundred thousand.

DOES IT MEAN THE NEGRO'S DOOM?-The press of September 18 contained a dispatch from the land agent of the Southern Railway that a colony of French Canadians had passed through Washington the day before on their way to Summerville, S. C., to start into farming there. They will form a village with their own church, school, stores and other accessories. Of course this is a mere speck towards supplanting the negro, but if it should turn out successfully, the mighty current of emigration from Southern Europe

might be turned into the Southern States, and at the present rate of the flow they would soon equal the negro in number.

A JOHN BROWN RELIC-The boatswain's whistle that John Brown used to give signals with during his Harper's Ferry raid is said to be in the possession of Mrs. Mary A. Cassin, of Washington, D. C. It is claimed to have been taken from him by Lieut. Stewart, of the U. S. force, who gave it to "Col. Washington" from whom it passed to John Cassin. The Kansas Historical Society are seeking it for their museum. (Washington Post, Sept. 5, 1903.)

$15,000 ANNUALLY FOR HISTORY-By an act of the Legislature of Massachusetts approved June 11, 1902, it was provided that the State should assist in the printing of "the record of the births, marriages and deaths, previous to the year 1850, of any town" in the State. Instead of directly appropriating money for the expense, it was ordained that the Secretary of the Commonwealth should buy 500 copies at a fixed scale of prices depending on the length of the publication, if the work was done with accuracy. Not over $15,000 can be used for this purpose in any one year. Under this stimulus the Essex Institute will print the vitai statistics of that county from the beginning to 1850, gathering items not only from official sources, but from church books, family Bibles, gravestones, etc.

HISTORIANS AND FEDERATION-Here is a nut for the historians to crack, if they can. In class room, in print and in talk, they point out the blessings of the federative principle in our government, yet they have not advanced a step towards the federation of their own societies. Every attempt of the sort, even though it starts in a burst of enthusiasm, soon dies in abject atrophy. A late illustration is seen in Mississippi, where an unusually successful central secretary

has found the scheme of affiliated branches to turn out so far rather discouragingly. Different results have their brethren, the scientists, obtained. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has ten affiliated societies, with a combined membership of thousands. At their last regular meeting, in Washington, the Christmas of 1902, the attendance from outside was about ten times that of the largest of the historical bodies at the same place just a year previous, the American Historical Association. The scientists had 20 times as much of public attention, especially in the reports of the daily press. The officers published a program for each of the five days, aggregating 430 pages, besides more than 100 pages of preliminary pamphlets, or nearly 600 pages for this one meeting. This does not count the numerous circulars that were brought out.

DEMOCRACY AND CULTURE-In five years, under the energetic efforts of Prof. F. L. Riley, the Historical Society of Mississippi has been vitalized, the membership increased to 234, six volumes have been issued aggregating 2,200 pages, State aid of $1,000 annually been secured, and a State Department of Archives and History with yearly appropriation of nearly $3,000 been established in suitable quarters in the Capitol. It is a good instance of a specialist getting from the general mass reward for his enthusiasm and ability, a proof that democracy when rightly approached shows its appreciation of the higher things that the bulk enjoy only indirectly.

MILITARY RECORDS IN WASHINGTON-As well known this material, in charge of General F. C. Ainsworth, is not open for general consultation, as the conditions do not allow of constant handling, but it seems a pity that exceptions cannot at times be made in favor of careful investigators. At least it might be arranged for the clerks in charge to