JANUARY 18, 1812--AUGUST 6.

1812 Political opinions .-- Charles E.Leslie's reminiscences of Morse, Allston, King, and Coleridge .-- C.

B.King's letter .-- Sidney E.Morse's letter .-- Benjamin West's kindness .-- Sir William Beechy .-- Murders, robberies, etc.
-- Morse and Leslie paint each other's portraits .-- The elder Morse's financial difficulties .-- He deprecates the war talk .-- The son differs with his father .-- The Prince Regent .-- Orders in Council .-- Estimate of West .-- Alarming state of affairs in England .-- Assassination of Perceval, Prime Minister .-- Execution of assassin .-- Morse's love for his art .-- Stephen Van Rensselaer .-- Leslie the friend and Allston the master .-- Afternoon tea .-- The elder Morse well known in Europe .-- Lord Castlereagh.
-- The Queen's drawing-room .-- Kemble and Mrs.Siddons .-- Zachary Macaulay.
-- Warning letter from his parents .-- War declared .-- Morse approves .-- Gratitude to his parents, and to Allston.
The years from 1811 to 1815 which were passed by Morse in the study of his art in London are full of historical interest, for England and America were at war from 1812 to 1814, and the campaign of the allied European Powers against Napoleon Bonaparte culminated in Waterloo and the Treaty of Paris in 1815.
The young man took a deep interest in these affairs and expressed his opinions freely and forcibly in his letters to his parents.

His father was a strong Federalist and bitterly deprecated the declaration of war by the United States.

The son, on the contrary, from his point of vantage in the enemy's country saw things from a different point of view and stoutly upheld the wisdom, nay, the necessity, of the war.