[Illustration:  MORSE IN OLD AGE]

“I send you by book post the proceedings of the banquet given to our late Minister, Bigelow, in which you will see my remarks on the great enterprise with which your name will forever be so honorably associated and justly immortalized.”

It will be remembered, that the Atlantic cable was finally successfully laid on July 27, 1866, and that to Cyrus Field, more than to any other man, was this wonderful achievement due.

In a letter of March 4, 1867, to John S.C.  Abbott, Esq., Morse gives the following interesting incident in the life of Napoleon III:—­

“In 1837, I was one of a club of gentlemen in New York who were associated for social and informal intellectual converse, which held weekly meetings at each other’s houses in rotation.  Most of these distinguished men are now deceased.  The club consisted of such men as Chancellor Kent, Albert Gallatin, Peter Augustus Jay, Reporter Johnson, Dr. (afterwards Bishop) Wainwright, the President and Professors of Columbia College, the Chancellor and Professors of the New York City University, Dr. Augustus Smith, Messrs. Goodhue and De Rham of the mercantile class, and John C. Hamilton, Esq. and ex-Governor W.B.  Lawrence from the literary ranks.

“Among the rules of the club was one permitting any member to introduce to the meetings distinguished strangers visiting the city.  At one of the reunions of the club the place of meeting was at Chancellor Kent’s.  On assembling the chancellor introduced to us Louis Napoleon, a son of the ex-King of Holland, a young man pale and contemplative, somewhat reserved.  This reserve we generally attributed to a supposed imperfect acquaintance with our language.  At supper he sat on the right of the Chancellor at the head of the table.  Mr. Gallatin was opposite the Chancellor at the foot of the table, and I was on his right.

“In the course of the evening, while the conversation was general, I drew the attention of Mr. Gallatin to the stranger, observing that I did not trace any resemblance in his features to his world-renowned uncle, yet that his forehead indicated great intellect.  ‘Yes,’ replied Mr. Gallatin, ’there is a great deal in that head of his, but he has a strange fancy.  Can you believe it, he has the impression that he will one day be the Emperor of the French; can you conceive of anything more ridiculous?’

“Certainly at that period, even to the sagacious eye of Mr. Gallatin, such an idea would naturally seem too improbable to be entertained for a moment, but, in the light of later events, and the actual state of things at present, does not the fact show that, even in his darkest hours, there was in this extraordinary man that unabated faith in his future which was a harbinger of success; a faith which pierced the dark clouds which surrounded him, and realized to him in marvellous prophetic vision that which we see at this day and hour fully accomplished?”