Tour of Mr. Lincoln.
Receptions along the route — another speech — Nobody hurt yet — a Jam at Buffalo, &c.The telegrams continue the rose-colored descriptions of Mr. Lincoln's reception in his tour to Washington. On Sunday last he was at Buffalo, N. Y., where he attended church, and dined with Ex-President Fillmore. Of the events of Saturday, a dispatch from Buffalo says: ‘ The train stopped at Willoughby, Painesville, Geneva, Ashtabula, Conneaut, Erie, Westfield, Dunkirk and Silver Creek, at all of which places large crowds were assembled, and Mr. Lincoln was received with great and constantly increasing enthusiasm. The largest and most demonstrative crowd was assembled at Ashtabula, the home of old Giddings. At Geneva, Ohio, he was addressed briefly by one of the crowd, who exhorted him to stand by the Constitution and the cause of liberty. ’ At Girard station several baskets of splendid fruit and flowers were presented to the Presidential family. No little sensation was produced at this point by the unexpected apparition on the train of Horace Greeley, equipped with a valice and his well known red and blue blankets. He was at once conducted into the car of the President, who came forward to greet him. He got off again at Erie, after traveling about twenty miles with the company. At Erie quite a scene occurred, by the breaking down of a roof on which a large number of curious Republicans had gathered. The sudden disappearance of the whole group, and the scramble among the rains, was most ludicrous. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt. After dinner, at Erie. Mr. Lincoln addressed the people, excusing himself for not expressing his opinions on the exciting questions of the day. He trusted that when the time for speaking should come he should find it necessary to say nothing not in accordance with the Constitution together with the interests of the people of the whole country. At North. East station a flag, inscribed ‘"Fort Sumter,"’ was carried right up to where Mr. Lincoln stood, but he did not seem to take the hint, and made no allusion to it in his few remarks. At the same station Mr. Lincoln took occasion to state that during the campaign he had received a letter from a young girl of this place, in which he was kindly admonished to do certain things, and among others to let his whiskers grow, and that, as he had acted upon that piece of advice, he would now be glad to welcome his fair correspondent, if she was among the crowd. In response to the call a lassie made her way through the crowd, was helped on the platform, and kissed by the President. At Dunkirk, while addressing the people, Mr. Lincoln, grasping the staff of the American flag, under the folds of which he stood, announced his intention to stand by that flag, and asked them to stand by him as long as he should do so.
Reception at Buffalo.
Buffalo, Feb. 16.
--On arrival at Buffalo, Mr. Lincoln was met at the door of the car by a deputation of citizens headed by Millard Fillmore, between whom and himself a hearty greeting passed.
The crowd in and surrounding the depot was dense and numbered not less than ten thousand people.
But one company of soldiers and a file of police were detailed to act as escort to the party, and it was with the greatest difficulty that they could protect them from being crushed by the crowd.
While passing from the train to the carriages, in the j. m, Major Hunter, of the United States Army, one of Mr. Lincoln's suite, had his shoulder dislocated.
The passage of the procession up Exchange and Main street to the American Hotel, was a perfect ovation.
Most of the buildings on those streets were gaily draped with flags.
Arriving at the American Hotel, Mr. Lincoln was welcomed in a brief speech by acting Mayor Bemis, to which he responded as follows: ‘
Mr. Mayor and fellow-citizens of Buffalo and the State of New York: I am here to thank you briefly for this grand reception given to me, not personally, but as the representative of our great and beloved country.
(Cheers.)--Your worthy Mayor has been pleased to mention in his address to me the fortunate and agreeable journey which I have had from home, only it is rather a circuitous route to the Federal Capital.
I am very happy that he was enabled in truth to congratulate myself and company on that fact.
It is true, we have had nothing thus far to mar the pleasure of the trip.
We have not been met alone by those who assisted in giving the election to me — I say not alone, but by the whole population of the country through which we have passed.
This is as it should be. Had the election fallen to any other of the distinguished candidates instead of myself, under the peculiar circumstances, to say the least, it would have been proper for all citizens to have greeted him as you now greet me. It is evidence of the devotion of the whole people to the Constitution, the Union, and the perpetuity of the liberties of this country.
(Cheers.) I am unwilling, on any occasion, that I should be so meanly thought of as to have it supposed for a moment that these demonstrations are tendered to me personally.
They are tendered to the country, to the institutions of the country, and to the perpetuity of the liberties of the country, for which there institutions were made and created.--Your worthy Mayor has thought fit to express the hope that I may be able to relieve the country from the present, or, I should say the threatened, difficulties.
I am sure I bring a heart true to the work.
(Tremendous applause.) For the ability to perform it, I must trust in that Supreme Being who has never forsaken this favored land through the instrumentality of this great and intelligent people.
Without that assistance, I shall surely fail — with it, I cannot fail.
When we speak of threatened difficulties to the country, it is natural that it should be expected that something should be said by myself with regard to particular measures.
Upon more mature reflection, however — and others will agree with me — that when it is considered that these difficulties are without precedent, and never have been acted upon by any individual situated as I am, it is most proper I should wait and see the developments, and get all the light possible, so that when I do speak authoritatively I may be as near right as possible.
(Cheers.) When I shall speak authoritatively I hope to say nothing inconsistent with the Constitution, the Union, the rights of all the States, of each State and of each section of the country, and not to disappoint the reasonable expectations of those who have confided to me their votes.
In this connection allow me to say that you, as a portion of the great American people, need only to maintain your composure, stand up to your sober convictions of right, to your obligations to the Constitution, and act in accordance with those sober convictions, and the clouds which now arise in the horizon will be dispelled, and we shall have a bright and glorious future, and when this generation has passed away tens of thousands will inhabit this country where only thousands in habit it now. I do not propose to address you at length; I have no voice for it. Allow me again to thank you for this magnificent reception and bid you farewell. ’
Mr. Lincoln spoke with the utmost difficulty, being so hoarse from his frequent efforts as to be scarcely able to make himself heard.
The reception at this place was the most ill conducted affair witnessed since the departure from Springfield.
A thick crowd had been allowed to await the arrival of the train at the depot, so that but a narrow passage could be kept open by the few soldiers and policemen detailed to protect the President.
The President elect was safely got out of the depot only by the desperate efforts of those immediately around him. His party had to struggle with might and main for their lives, and after fighting their way to the open air found some of the carriages already occupied, so that not a few had to make for the hotel afoot as best they could.
The hotel doors were like wise blockaded by immovable thousands, and they had to under-go another tremendous squeeze to get inside.
The rooms of the Young Men's Christian Union, directly opposite the American Hotel, had displayed a large banner upon which were the words ‘"We will pray for you."’
Just before the procession arrived at the American Hotel, a wagon filled with wood drove in front of the hotel in fulfillment of a bet, conditioned, that if Mr. Lincoln was elected one party was to saw a half cord of wood in front of the American and present the wood to the poorest negro in the city.
If Mr. Lincoln was not elected the other party was to saw the wood and present it to a Buffalo newspaper.
The losing party sawed vigorously while Mr. Lincoln was speaking. 