were delivered, principally by southern democratic members of Congress, which body was at that time in session.  A full account of these proceedings, with reports of the speeches, was given in the Union of the next day.  According to this report, Mr. Foote, the senator from Mississippi, extolled the French revolution as holding out “to the whole family of man a bright promise of the universal establishment of civil and religious liberty.”  He declared, in the same speech, “that the age of tyrants and of slavery was rapidly drawing to a close, and that the happy period to be signalized by the universal emancipation of man from the fetters of civic oppression, and the recognition in all countries of the great principles of popular sovereignty, equality and brotherhood, was at this moment visibly commencing.”  Mr. Stanton, of Tennessee, and others, spoke in a strain equally fervid and philanthropic.  I am obliged to refer to the Union newspaper for an account of these speeches, as I did not hear them myself.  I came to Washington, not to preach, nor to hear preached, emancipation, equality and brotherhood, but to put them into practice.  Sayres and English went up to see the procession and hear the speeches.  I had other things to attend to.

The news of my arrival soon spread among those who had been expecting it, though I neither saw nor had any direct communication with any of those who were to be my passengers.  I had some difficulty in disposing of my wood, which was not a very first-rate article, but finally sold it, taking in payment the purchaser’s note on sixty days, which I changed off for half cash and half provisions.  As the trader to whom I passed the note had no hard bread, Sayres and myself went in the steamer to Alexandria to purchase a barrel,—­a circumstance of which it was afterwards attempted to take advantage against us.

It was arranged that the passengers should come on board after dark on Saturday evening, and that we should sail about midnight.  I had understood that the expedition, had principally originated in the desire to help off a certain family, consisting of a woman, nine children and two grand-children, who were believed to be legally entitled to their liberty.  Their case had been in litigation for some time; but, although they had a very good case,—­the lawyer whom they employed (Mr. Bradley, one of the most distinguished members of the bar of the district) testified, in the course of one of my trials, that he believed them to be legally free,—­yet, as their money was nearly exhausted, and as there seemed to be no end to the law’s delay and the pertinacity of the woman who claimed them, it was deemed best by their friends that they should get away if they could, lest she might seize them unawares, and sell them to some trader.  In speaking of this case, the person with whom I communicated at Washington informed me that there were also quite a number of others who wished to avail themselves of this opportunity of escaping, and that the number of passengers was likely to be larger than had at first been calculated upon.  To which I replied, that I did not stand about the number; that all who were on board before eleven o’clock I should take,—­the others would have to remain behind.