April 15, '67.

Dear

You seemed struck the other day with what I told you as to the feeling in America about the Alabama business. You can make whatever use you please of the following memorandum:—

During the last four months I have been both in the Northern and the Southern States, and have been staying in New York, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington. I have talked with a good many Americans on the subject of the Alabama claims, and the feeling evinced, and the passion shown by one or two of them, convinced me of the importance of an early settlement of the matter in some way or other. I understand that when Mr. Shaw Lefevre was in Washington he was astonished at an outbreak of temper by Mr. Seward when the subject of the Alabama was mentioned. Since the attack made upon him at the time of Mr. Lincoln's murder, and since the death of his wife, which was caused in great measure by over fatigue in nursing him after that attack, Mr. Seward, it is said, has never been the man he was before, and his temper has been so little under control, as to cause considerable uneasiness to his friends; but I have heard other American gentlemen use language quite as unmeasured when the Alabama was mentioned. On points of national pride Americans are far more sensitive than we are.