The life and public services of Abraham Lincoln ... together with his state papers, including his speeches, addresses, messages, letters, and proclamations, and the closing scenes connected with his life and death. By Henry J. Raymond. To which are added anecdotes and personal reminiscences of President Lincoln, by Frank B. Carpenter.

STATE PAPERS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

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' authorized by the President of the United States to tender
them his safe-conduct on the journey proposi:;d." Mr. Greeley was not authorized to tender these agents a safe-conduct
to Washington upon any such terms, but only on certain
other conditions which he concealed from the agents, and
of which he took no notice whatever, either in his correspondtice with them or with the President. Their reply
to him, however, corrected his impression that they were
" duly accredited" from Richmond to negotiate for peace.
They had no authority of the kind, but expressed their
belief that they could get it, and, upon this presumption,
renewed their solicitations for a safe-conduct to Washington. On the 18th, Mr. Greeley wrote to the President
communicating this information, but still making no allusion whatever to the conditions imposed upon their being
received.
The President, meantime, not understanding the cause
of delay in their arrival, sent Major Hay, his private secretary, to communicate directly with "any persons " professiog to have authority from Davis to treat for peaoe,
and to inform them, as he had twice before instructed
Mr. Greeley to inform them, that any proposition for
peace, in order to be received and considered by him,
must embrace "the restoration of peace, the integrity of
the whole Union, and the abandonment of slavery."
These instructions were embodied in the letter addressed
"to whom it may concern"-and were delivered by
Major Hay in person to the rebel agents. As it was the
first they had ever heard of any "conditions," and as
they had been informed by Mr. Greeley that he was instructed by the President to tender them safe-conduct to
Washington, without any mention of conditions-they
were of course taken by surprise, and naturally enough
attributed to the President the "sudden and entire
change of views" with which they reproach him in their
letter to Mr. Greeley of July 21st. And strangely enough,
even after receiving this letter and being thus apprised
of the charge brought against the President, Mr. Greeley
not only failed to relieve him from it by making public