The season appears to be changing. We have clouds and some fog. I had a succession of visits Mr Montague Leverson and a certain Dr Smith came to show me a new gun, which they desired to offer first of all to the government of the United States. I have a very great aversion to every thing of the kind, and always disclaim all responsibility for the205 government. But I must submit to much of this annoyance as an incident of the times. The principle of Dr Smith’s gun is ingenious. It has a revolving chamber, which is supplied with changes from the subsidiary barrels or light tubes, whilst another revolving which puts on the caps. The calculation then is that a man can fire thirty or forty times successively without any delay, a number of times rarely exceeded during any action. But in the practical portion it turned out that neither caps nor cartridges were prepared with sufficient preciseness to ensure perfect facility of motion, so that neither revolving movement worked well. The gentlemen took their leave and promised to be better prepared the next time. Mr Lucas came in to talk politics a little. He takes English view. of our affairs, and argues an edict of emancipation. I tried to explain the practical difficulty in the way. His newspaper does not go quite so near right as it did. Mr George Vail paid me a visit of leave, as he goes back to America on Saturday. Mr Albert Davy called. I proposed to him to take the Consulship at Queenstown in the place of Mr Derive. Mr Seward had asked me to name someone, and I had though of him. He thanked me, but declined on the ground of the distance from his family whom he could not remove, I had not much time to devote to my Despatches, but fortunately they were not long. Mr Hooker and Mr Moran dined with us. At last we received the long delayed telegram. It was not decisive as to the operations, but rather encouraging so far as it went. There seemed to be some link missing. Mr Moran brought an account of a private telegram to Mr McHenry which indicated some positive success. But I have grown wary of trusting to these seince my experience of a fortnight back. In any event the case looked more hopeful.