country. Great Britain was greatly in want of soldiers, and her public agents, covertly, enlisted soldiers within the limits of the United States, in violation of the existing neutrality laws.

5. It appeared that the British minister at Washington and some of the British consuls in our larger cities, had either openly or secretly favored these proceedings. As Great Britain declined recalling her ininister, though invited to do so, he and the consuls were dismissed by our government. Some irritation followed in England, but the propriety of our course was obvious, and the cloud passed by.

6. On the 13th September, 1855, Lieutenant Hartstene, who, with the Arctic and Return, had been dispatched in search of Dr. Kane and his companions, found them at the Isle of Dis'-co, in Greenland. They had abandoned their vessel, the Advance, in the ice, May 17th, and arrived at Upernavik, where they had shipped for Denmark, for the purpose of returning home. Fortunately meeting with Lieutenant Hartstene, they were brought to New York, where they arrived October 11th.

7. This second American expedition, dispatched from America for

5. What was done by our government in respect to the British minister and consuls? C. What of Lieutenant Hartstene? What of Dr. Kane and his companions?

the discovery of Sir John Franklin and his companions,* thus proved abortive, but the party discovered an open sea encircling the North Pole, thus adding a curious and surprising fact to our somewhat limited knowledge in respect to this gloomy and inhospitable portion

7 What of this second American expedition for the discovery of Sir John Franklin! What discovery was made by Captain McClure?

*For nearly three hundred years, it has been a great object to determine whether there Is what is called a North-west Passage to the Pacific, that is, a passage for vessels through the Arctic seas from Baffin Bay to Behring Strait. Within the last thirty years, Great Britain has dispatched numerous ships to settle this question, and from this source we have the important discoveries of Parry, Ross, and others. In May, 1845, Sir John Franklin, who had distinguished himself in explorations among the Arctic seas, with twe ships, the Erebus and Terror, and one hundred and thirty-eight men, departed for a voy. age of discovery in those regions. They proceeded up Baffin Bay, but for several year nothing was heard of them. The whole civilized world seemed interested in the fate of these adventurers. As the expeditions sent out from Great Britain had proved unsuc Dessful, Mr Henry Grinnell, of New York, equipped two vessels, the Advance and Rescue, at his own expense. They departed from New York in May. 1850. These having returned, October. 1851, without success, another expedition was dispatched by Mr. Gri il, aided by the government, consisting of the brig Advance, under the command of Dr E. K. Kane, of Philadelphia, the surgeon and naturalist of the first expedition. After Lis return, Dr Kane published an interesting account of his adventures. Unhappily his constitution had been undermined by the hardships he had encr untered, and he died in Cuba. February 16th, 1857. His death caused a general mournir.g throughout the United States.

The actual fate of Sir John Franklin and his men has recently been ascertained, as we have stated in our account of the Polar Regions. (See p. 481.)

of the globe. It may be added that, previous to this time-October, 1853-Captain McClure, of the British ship Investigator, had proved that a continuous sea extends from Baffin Bay to Behring Strait. It is, however, of no practical use, as it is at all times encumbered with ice.

8. Several expeditions had been dispatched from England, in search of Sir John Franklin. In one of them, the ship Resolute was abandoned in the Arctic seas. On the 23d December, 1855, she was found fating in the Atlantic, and brought safely into the harbor of New London by Captain Buddington. She was afterward purchased by our government, refitted, and sent, December, 1856, as a present to the British government, under command of Lieutenant Hartstene. The present was very graciously accepted, and the lieutenant and his men received the most hearty and gratifying welcome.

& What of the ship Resolute? What of Lieutenant Hartstene?

BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION, BEGINNING MARCH 4TH, 1857. -The Troubles in Kansas.-The Lecompton Constitu tion in Congress.-Its Rejection by the People of Kansas, and a New Constitution adopted.

1. In the election for a successor to President Pierce, James Buchanan,* of Pennsylvania, the Democratic candidate, was chosen, and duly inaugurated March 4th, 1857. John C. Breckenridge, of Kencky, was elected vice-president.

CHAP. CCXVI.-1. Who were inaugurated president and vice-president March 4th, 1957 ?

* In this election of November, 1856, there were three parties in the field. The first was that of the Democrats, whose convention had met at Cincinnati, and adopted a platform regarded as embracing the established creed of the party. The second was the Republican party, whose main principle was opposition to the extension of slavery in the Territories. Their candidate was John C. Fremont, a native of Georgia, and cons spicuous for his explorations and discoveries, and his public services in California during

sas.

2. One of the first and most important subjects that occupied the attention of the new administration was the state of things in KanWe have already noticed the excitement which existed in this territory; but it is necessary to go back, and give a more particular narrative of events connected with this subject.

3. The avowed doctrine of the Kansas-Nebraska act, passed in 1854, was that of "Popular Sovereignty," or the right of the people of a territory to decide for themselves whether to admit slavery or not, when they ask admission into the Union. In view of this, a movement was made at the North, and especially in Massachusetts, by private associations, to people the territory of Kansas with emigrants opposed to the establishment of slavery there; a counteracting effort was made in the South to people the territory with inhabitants in favor of slavery.*

4. The result was such as might have been foreseen. A great mass of emigrants of opposite views and feelings, crowded into the territory, and were soon in a state of angry contention. Scenes of violence took place, and in 1855 and 1856 there was actual civil war, in which the Mexican war. The electoral votes of all the free states, excepting Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, and California, were cast for Fremont. The third party was that of the Americans, their leading principle being that “Americans shall govern America." Their candidate was Millard Fillmore; they, however, carried only the state of Maryland.

* In order to understand the extent and bearing of the question of slavery in the United States, it is necessary to consider a few historical facts. The practice of holding human beings as slaves, appears to have existed from the earliest ages. It existed among the ancient Jews, even before the time of Moses, and in the days of the patriarchs; it existed among the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; it exists at the present day all over Asia In point of fact, a great part of mankind, from the beginning of history down to the Middle Ages, were slaves.

In ancient times, all prisoners of war were reduced to slavery, being generally dis tributed as spoils among the officers and men of the conquering armies. When America was discovered, this practice was still in vogue, and there was no hesitation on the part of Europeans in making slaves of the Indians whom they captured. Even in New Eng and, in Virginia, and the other English colonies, Indians taken in war were sold as slaves. The remnant of the Pequods in Connecticut, the Indians taken by Colonel Waldron in New Hampshire, and the children of Philip, the famous Rhode Island chief, were all enslaved, and sold as property.

The first negro slaves brought to the English colonies in America, twenty in number, were landed from a Dutch vessel at Jamestown about the year 1619. From this time African slaves were imported into most of the colonies, and they became more or les numerous in all. At the time of the Revolution, they existed in all the thirteen state: but about this period some of the Northern states abolished slavery, and this example was followed by them all. In 1865 a constitutional amendment prohibiting slavery was adopted by the requisite number of states.

2. What was one of the first and most important matters claiming Mr Buchanan's attention? 3. What was the avowed principle of the Kansas-Nebraska What was done in the North to get anti-slavery settlers into Kansas? What was done as the South? 4 What were the consequen.es of this strife in Kansar?