in obtaining commissions, patents of peerage, pensions, grants of crown land, under the great seal of William, and they had in their secret drawers promises of pardon in the handwriting of James." Now let the reader turn back and read this extract and the one preceding it about Marlborough, both from Macaulay's History of England, over again, carefully and considerately--putting the name of Abraham Lincoln in the place of William, wherever it occurs; and the name of Jefferson Davis in place of James, wherever it occurs, and whatever name he pleases in place of Marlborough's, and he will, we think, be entirely competent to draw his own similitudes, and to understand the causes of many things heretofore related in this volume, and of some which we purpose to relate in this chapter. Another class of cases occasionally brought before the Provost-Court, at Alexandria, related to loyalty. To relate the details of one or two of these cases will give to the reader a general conception of the whole. Mr. E.'s usual residence was in Sussex County, New Jersey, but in some way, and at some time, he became the owner of a farm not many miles from Alexandria, Virginia. In throwing up earth-works at Munson's Hill and at other points, with a view to protect Washington and Alexandria, it so happened that Mr. E.'s farm was left about one mile outside of the Union lines. And it so happened, too, that the Confederates, in establishing their picket-line and temporary works of defence, made them about one mile the other side of Mr. E.'s farm. This left him literally "between two fires," for the mounted cannon on either side could throw a ball into his house at any moment, and squads of cavalry from both sides occasionally visited his house. Had he continued to look after his farming operations, and those only, he would probably not have been seriously disturbed by either side; but the love of the almighty dollar so far prevailed over his better judgment and his loyalty, that he concluded to try merchandising, in a surreptitious way, at his own farm-house. For years previous he had been in the habit of purchasing the supplies for his farm in Alexandria, which, with the fact that he was a Northern man and was presumed to be, as he professed to be, entirely loyal to the United States government, made it no trouble for him to procure passes in and out of the Union lines, whenever he had occasion to use them. After awhile it was observed that he passed in and out of the lines much oftener than he had been in the habit of doing when the line was first established, and that he usually drove a two-horse wagon, with a cloth cover over it, and apparently well filled within. It was observed, too, by officers, with their field-glasses, from the works at Munson's Hill, that Confederate cavalry visited Mr. E.'s house much oftener than they had been in the habit of doing during the first months of the war, and how many, both of cavalry and infantry,