About the same time at which the President was shot an assassin entered the sick chamber of the Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, and stabbed him in several places—­in the throat, neck, and face—­severely if not mortally wounding him.  Other members of the Secretary’s family were dangerously wounded by the assassin while making his escape.  By the death of President Lincoln the office of President has devolved, under the Constitution, upon you.  The emergency of the Government demands that you should immediately qualify, according to the requirements of the Constitution, and enter upon the duties of President of the United States.  If you will please make known your pleasure, such arrangements as you deem proper will be made.

Your obedient servants,

HUGH McCULLOCH,
  Secretary of the Treasury.

EDWIN M. STANTON,
  Secretary of War.

GIDEON WELLES,
  Secretary of Navy.

W. DENNISON,
  Postmaster-General.

J.P.  USHER,
  Secretary of the Interior.

JAMES SPEED,
  Attorney-General.

[From the Daily National Intelligencer, April 17, 1865.]

The Vice-President responded that it would be agreeable to him to qualify himself for the high office to which he had been so unexpectedly called, under such melancholy circumstances, at his rooms at the Kirkwood Hotel; and at 11 o’clock a.m. [15th] the oath of office was administered to him by Chief Justice Chase, of the Supreme Court of the United States, in the presence of nearly all the Cabinet officers; the Hon. Solomon Foot, United States Senator from Vermont; the Hon. Alexander Ramsey, United States Senator from Minnesota; the Hon. Richard Yates, United States Senator from Illinois; the Hon. John.  P. Hale, late Senator from New Hampshire; General Farnsworth, of the House of Representatives, from Illinois; F.P.  Blair, sr.; Hon. Montgomery Blair, late Post master-General, and some others.

[For Inaugural Address of President Johnson, see pp. 305-306.]

ANNOUNCEMENT TO REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES ABROAD.

[From official records, Department of State.]

CIRCULAR.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

Washington, April 17, 1865.

SIR:  The melancholy duty devolves upon me officially to apprise you of the assassination of the President at Ford’s Theater, in this city, in the evening of the 14th instant.  He died the next morning from the effects of the wound.

About the same time an attempt was made to assassinate the Secretary of State in his own house, where he was in bed suffering from the effects of the late accident.  The attempt failed, but Mr. Seward was severely cut, on the face especially, it is supposed with a bowie knife.  Mr. F.W.  Seward was felled by a blow or blows on the head, and for some time afterwards was apparently unconscious.  Both the Secretary and Assistant Secretary are better, especially the former.