Raining all day, cold and wet. I am tired and weary of this
perpetual jabber about Fort Sumter. Men here who know nothing at all of what is
passing send letters to the New York papers, which are eagerly read by the
people in Washington as soon as the journals reach the city, and then all these
vague surmises are taken as gospel, and argued upon as if they were facts. The “Herald”
keeps up the courage and spirit of its Southern friends by giving the most
florid accounts of their prospects, and making continual attacks on Mr. Lincoln
and his government; but the majority of the New York papers are inclined to
resist Secession and aid the Government. I dined with Lord Lyons in the
evening, and met Mr. Sumner, Mr. Blackwell, the manager of the Grand Trunk Railway
of Canada, his wife, and the members of the Legation. After dinner I visited M.
de Stoeckl, the Russian Minister, and M. Tassara, the Minister of Spain, who
had small receptions. There were few Americans present. As a rule, the
diplomatic circle, which has, by-the-by, no particular centre, radii, or
circumference, keeps its members pretty much within itself. The great people
here are mostly the representatives of the South American powers, who are on
more intimate relations with the native families in Washington than are the
transatlantic ministers.
SOURCE: William Howard Russell, My Diary North and
South, p. 68
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