My former applications and my volumes have been sent by me directly
through Triest to Vienna, but that my last document to emperor Ferdinand
was sent to his minister in Washington city with an urgent exhortation
to the minister, to forward it to the emperor, and with the remark that
in the time in which an answer could be expected, I would send to the
minister my direction, to which post office he had to send the answer;
because I wrote to the emperor from the State of New-York on my journey
to other States. I wrote at length to the minister, that if he receives
an answer to my documents from the Emperor Ferdinand, he should send it
to the post office of Nashville, capital of the State of Tennessee. I
urged the Emperor to send an answer as soon as possible, and I assured
him, that it was impossible, to prevent new revolutions without the use
of the remedy contained in our message of peace. But knowing the
slowness of the business at the Austrian government, I now on the 14th
September 1848, at noon time to the post office of Nashville to ask for
letters. When I was approaching the post office, fire bells commenced to
arouse people who were asking where the fire was. Some answered, that it
was in the Presbyterian Church on Church street; but others remarked,
that they should not be mocked in this manner; because it appeared to be
quite improbable that fire should break out at that hour in that season
in a church without being struck by lightning; and that was a very clear
day.

I asked in the post office for letters. But there was no letter for me
there. On my return from the post office, the whole presbyterian church
the largest in that city, on Church Street, was enveloped in awful
flames, by which it was entirely consumed.

The next night after that solemn spectacle an angel of my Lord brought