“General Grant returned to Washington on the 23d of September, 1869. The next day, ‘Black Friday,’ the conspirators put up the price of gold, and a wild panic ensued. Leading men of all parties in the city of New York telegraphed the President and the Secretary of the Treasury, urging their interference as the only way of preventing a financial crash, which would have extended over the whole country. About eleven o’clock, Secretary Boutwell went to the White House, and after a brief conference, General Grant expressed his wish that the desired relief should be given. Secretary Boutwell promptly telegraphed to Sub-Treasurer Butterfield, at New York, to give notice that he would sell four millions of gold. This collapsed the speculation. ‘I knew,’ said Jim Fisk, afterward, ‘that somebody had run a sword right into us.’ It was not without difficulty that Corbin, Gould, and Fisk escaped from the fury of their victims. The conspiracy was subsequently investigated by a committee of the House of Representatives, and a report was made by James A. Garfield, completely exonerating General Grant, and declaring that, by laying the strong hand of government on the conspirators and breaking their power, he had treated them as enemies of the credit and business of the Union.” Great satisfaction came to the country when Congress convened in December, and it was manifest that the reconstruction of all of the Southern states was accomplished, and with the opening of the New Year, all the states of the Union were represented in Congress for the first time since December, 1860. Vice President Colfax presided over fifty-one Republican and thirteen Democratic Senators, while James G. Blaine, Speaker of the House, held his gavel over one hundred and seventy-two Republicans and seventy-one Democratic Representatives. Meanwhile, Congress had established the Weather Bureau, with headquarters at Washington. Its object was to secure and issue information of approaching changes of weather and impending storms. The butt of many jokes in the beginning of its career, it has saved the people of the country from heavy losses both by land and by sea. Branches were located in all of the principal cities. As time has passed, the importance of the work of this Bureau brought measures for the extension of its operations. As the administration drew to a close, the effect of the financial scandals was shown in the opposition that seemed to spring up in all directions to President Grant. Rumour and query were already directed toward the Pennsylvania Courts, where a Crédit Mobilier scandal was impending and the money panic threatening.