Mr. Clay to Mr. Seward
Sir: In Paris, on the 6th instant, as you will have learned before you receive this, the Emperor Alexander was fired at by a Polish assassin. The fact was immediately telegraphed here and circulated in handbills over the city. All Russia was moved as one family. At 1 o’clock on the 7th a Te Deum was held at the St. Isaac’s church, in the presence of the diplomatic corps, the Grand Dukes Constantine and Nicolas and all the dignitaries now here, and immense crowds of the people. The Emperor is loved as a father, and the Russians are intensely national, and the French are not trusted; so you can imagine the excitement.
I mention this fact as one of the events of passing history, hoping Providence will continue to protect our “great and good friend.”
Yours truly,
Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State, Washington, D. C.