enormity of the mischief. But it lies far down towards the base of the national institutions, and any attempt to extirpate it will fail until the doctrines of the "Spoils to the Victors" be rejected from the political catechism, and the interests of party made the means and not the end of political life. The letters which appeared in the _Morning Post_, written under the influence of the surprise and anger I felt at the extent and impunity of crimes of violence and the state of feeling, or want of it, respecting them in the West, were badly received in America, and were severely handled by a few papers, as I was informed; I expected that the mention of the subject would not prove agreeable, though I guarded myself most sedulously from a single offensive word--nay, went out of my way to palliate the offences against life and living, and to excuse the people who allowed them, whilst I most carefully drew the line--a broad one--between these border ruffians and the law-abiding, virtuous people of the settled States. I was not, however, prepared for misrepresentation. One would have thought that I accused the kind hosts who had received us--our generous entertainers in so many cities--the courteous, polished gentlemen who accompanied us--of murder and robbery, and ascribed to them the brutal murders committed by Canty or the Kid. As I quoted chapter and verse, and as the papers which vilified me could not deny the statements, they wrote that I had been imposed upon by the vivid fancy--in other phrase, the deliberate lying--of their brother editors in the West. One organ had the effrontery to declare that the Duke of Sutherland expressed his delight at the kind and courteous treatment of the ruffians I denounced; adding, "somebody lied--it was not the Duke." No. It was not indeed! A friend sent me one of these, and below an article in which it was said that I might take my place "beside Basil Hall, Mrs. Trollope, and Dickens for libelling the people of the United States," and that my stories were all inventions, there was a pregnant commentary as follows:--"Sunday, July 17th: Daring Train Robbery; Bandits Boarding Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Cars; The Conductor and a Passenger Shot Dead, and the Safe in the Express Car Robbed; the Passengers Saved by a Brakeman."