with, painful as it would be to his feelings, he would, in deference to his orders, be compelled to resort to arms.  It was a moment full of painful anxiety:  the Chair cast an eye over the document, as every one waited with eager suspense its being read aloud.  At length, summoning to my aid all the dignity my composition entertained, I rose as each restless eye denoted hope and anxiety, and said I would read the King’s commands, which were to the following effect:—­’That whereas sundry evil-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 progress of legitimate business; that