forced before him, only touched on that piratical craft as a sort of blessing in disguise to both peoples. On the other hand, he was overwhelmingly unctuous in calling the English our blood relations, making the glasses dance on the festive board with the thunderous applause he evoked from noble lords and lofty commoners. In Frankfort, however, he had a chance to say a "happy" thing, and he said it. In Frankfort they bought our bonds, when it was vital to the nation that our securities should find purchasers. To be sure, they made a good thing of it, for they bought them cheap; but England and poor generals had cheapened them. Hence it was a "happy" thing for the soldier who brought our "boys" and our bonds "out of the wilderness"- the former to Richmond, and the latter to par and beyond-to tell the Frankforters how well they had stood by the Union in its darkest days. There was much good German blood spilled in the cause of the Union, so that his hearers were aware that the General referred to heart-strings as well as purse-strings in his compliment to them. So, also, at Geneva, his compliment to the representative whose "casting vote" turned the scales in the Geneva award was not forgotten; in fact, the General seemed to be in a "happy" vein, complimenting without stint. This change, or rather drawing out of General Grant's thoughts, will surprise none more than his intimate friends, who have known him only by works, not words, CHAPTER XXIII. RETURN TO GREAT BRITAIN. The freedom of the city of Edinburgh was presented to General Grant on the 31st of August. He left London in a Pullman car. On the way from London- - four hundred miles- the scenery was exceedingly attractive. All through England and in the south of Scotland, the country is a perfect garden, and only when you get among the chilly hills, valleys and crags of northern Scotland, do you feel that you are getting into the open country. What a pity that there are no forests to cover these beautiful and historic mountains, where in centuries gone by the horns of the leaders summoned the clans to bloody work! The reception given to General Grant as each station was reached, was whole-souled and fully meant hospitality. At Carlisle-the dinner stopping-place-at Galashiels, Melrose, Harwick, and a number of smaller towns in Scotland, there were expressions of joy and enthusiasm that reminded one of the railroad receptions that General Grant gets at the towns of Illinois and Ohio. It seemed as though they knew him perfectly well-his face, his history, etc.- for they recognized him everywhere, and demanded as much handshaking as could be done in the limited time the train was to stay. Then the cheers and hurrahs always sounded in the distance above the whistle of the locomotive. Mrs. Grant was quite cheerful and talkative. She looked very much better than when she left Washington, though she said she was always in good health there. Washington has a slightly malarial atmosphere, and the complexion of a Washingtonian changes for the better after a trip to Europe. She enjoyed her European trip. She said her lines of association there had always fallen in pleasant places, and that she had been greatly pleased with every acquaintance she made in Europe. Mrs. Grant is a quiet, rather reserved lady, but one who impresses her associates by her kind nature, her broad views upon the subject under discussion, be it commonplace or important, and her sensible ideas of life. She sprang from one of the best families of the Mississippi Valley, well known and highly respected since a hundred years and more ago, and her early training was not lost. All the ladies who met her and became her acquaintances at the White House, loved her, from first to last. The freedom of the city of Edinburgh was presented to ex-President Grant by Lord Provost Sir James Falshaw, in Free Assembly Hall, two thousand persons being present. In reply to the Lord Provost's speech, General Grant said: "I am so filled with emotion that I scarcely know how to thank you for the honor conferred upon me by making me a burgess of this ancient city of Edinburgh. I feel that it is a great compliment to me and to my country. Had I the proper eloquence, I might dwell somewhat on the history of the great men you have produced, on the numerous citizens of this city and of Scotland who have gone to America, and the record they have made. We are proud of Scotchmen as citizens of America. They make good citizens of our country, and they find it profitable to themselves. I again thank you for the honor conferred upon me.' On September 1st, General Grant and party visited Tay Bridge. One of the most striking features of the view obtained from the deck of the little steamer is that of the |