On my dressing table this morning I found telegrams from America announcing what I had hardly dared to hope, the surrender of General Lee and the remainder of his army, as preparatory to a restoration of peace. Thus tanks be to God this deplorable war seems to have come to an end and the Union is not destroyed, and emancipation is undoubtedly attained. The report about Mr Seward is favorable, and the absence of any thing about Charles I construe as equivalent to his safety through the struggle before Richmond. So my mind was again at ease, and I felt light hearted and gay. The weather was lovely, and I went to Church in the City meaning to attend a unitarian service But in going to the Chapel in the poultry I made a mistake and found myself in what is called a Congregational or Independent Church. It is a very ordinary, but rather large room, and there was a full attendance of the same class of middle people which I first noticed at Mr Sturgen’s. The dissenters are a noteworthy characteristic of English society. No organ—the hymns sung by all The Sermon by a person not the pastor, whose accent seemed slightly Scotch. His subject the neglect260 of the higher duty of preparation for eternal life, and the devotion to temporal interest in lieu of it. One or two of the private clearly and strongly put. On my return home, I had visits of congratulation from Mr Bright, Mr W. Evans, Mr L Stanley and Mr Bentson. I omitted to mention an earlier visit from Mr Dudley on the subject of the passport difficulty which takes great dimension at Liverpool. The effect of these proceedings emanating as they do with precipitation and irregularity, is to justify an inference of a very defective management of the interior of the State Department. Mr Seward has been overworked, and he has no deputy capable of conducting the details with method. Many of the Consuls appointed are incompetent, and others have monopolized the attention of the bureau so far as to compromise the authority of the Minister, who is nevertheless expected here to give the directions. This last order is vexatious and unnecessary. It comes on the back of previous ones of the same character. No two ever the same, and all making difficulties without member that disturb only the innocent travellers and do not defeat the objects of the guilty ones. Walk to the Zoological gardens which were very full. The sun was a little oppressive. Mr Alward dined with me, and in the evening we went over to pay a visit to Mrs Parkes.