Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session Thirty-eighth Congress, Part IV, Appendix to diplomatic correspondence of 1865; the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, late president of the United States of America, and the attempted assassination of William H. Seward, Secretary of State, and Frederick W. Seward, Assistant Secretary, on the evening of the 14th of April, 1865; expressions of condolence and sympathy inspired by these events

Sheffield Secular Society

Sheffield, undated

Address of the Sheffield Secular Society.

Honored Madam: From this country there will reach you addresses of condolence and respect from all classes. The English nation has spoken with one voice of deep and sincere sympathy for the fate of your illustrious husband, of detestation of the vile and cowardly murderer who struck him down, and of grief for the bitter bereavement you have sustained. From the Queen upon our throne, from the leaders of our parliamentary parties, from our municipal and public bodies, down to the humblest associations, there has gone forth the most earnest and unanimous expression of sorrow for the deplorable loss the great American republic has suffered, in the violent death of its eminent and honored President; and the Sheffield Secular Society desires to put upon record, and to convey to you and to your family, its sincere concern for this the most grievous event of our times. Our principles teach us to regard reason and liberty as the two great forces of political progress. We are attached to that great doctrine of democracy which regards the whole people as entitled to equal conditions of personal improvement, of social prosperity and civil equality; and when the head of the great American federation, which represents these principles, is struck down, we regard it as a crime against humanity and the liberties of the human race.

Another reason why we regret the fate of Mr. Lincoln, and why we honor his memory, is, that Mr. Lincoln not only rose from the people, but he exalted the people among whom he arose. His career is a historic proof that industry applied to study, animated by honesty, sustained by patience and perennial good will, may result in a commanding capacity, placing the possessor on a level with the most distinguished statesmen of Europe, and higher than any king. The courage, persistence and moderation with which he advanced, and the impassable heroism with which he became the deliverer of the slave, crowned his life with a kinglier glory than any which attaches to any name in the history of men.

We trust that these considerations, which the heart of the English nation ratifies, will be to you and to your family some consolation in this hour of your sorrow.

We are, honored madam, your sincere friends,

• JAMES DOD WORTH, President.
• GEORGE JACOB HOLYOAKE.
• H. WM. BELLS.

(Signed on behalf of the Sheffield Secular Society.)

Mrs. Lincoln.