The death of Mr. Jefferson Davis, which occurred on Decem-
ber 6th, removes a figure which, had the Confederate States succeeded, would have become important in the world. He did not, however, make "a nation," as Mr. Gladstone supposed he had, but failed, and was most wisely pardoned by the victorious Republic. Those who worked with him or obeyed him, must' have known him best, and in their judgment he was a man of great ability, energy, and decision. He must, however, have misjudged utterly the comparative power of
the North and South ; and when defeat was certain, he still pre- ferred slavery to the victory of the State Rights for which he was nominally fighting. Had the South in the last year of the War declared all black men free on condition of their filling up the armies of the South, the victory of the North could hardly have been gained. That this project was never even seriously discussed, showed conclusively that Mr. Davis and his supporters fought for " the institution " rather than for liberation from a " tyrannical" Republic.
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