Boston, November 19, 1861
We have had a little run of luck on this side this last week, and Dupont and Wilkes have bolstered up the reputation of our navy, and indeed not before it was time, as you say. I suppose the seizure of Mason and Slidell reached you before the Beaufort news and made that additionally acceptable. Here it created quite a stir and immense delight, though at first every one thought that it must be a violation of national law; but Dana crowed with delight and declared that if Lord John made an issue on that, you could blow him out of water. I don’t think people cared much for Mason, except that his arrogance has made him odious; but of Slidell every one stands in great terror, and to have him safe in Fort Warren is an immense relief. Of the Beaufort affair you can judge as well as I, and if the handling of that fleet does n’t please the English, they must be fastidious. As a whole the news is for the moment better, but the symptoms are still bad. We evidently cannot follow up our successes, and the army is perfectly unwieldy. This time and more disaster will cure, but for myself, I by no means partake of the immense elation of our press. I still think that nothing of importance will be done before the spring. . . .
