ABRAHAM LINCOLN was assassinated at 10.30 p.m. on the 14th of April, 1865, and died at 7.20 a.m. the next day. Congress was not in session, but a large number of members hastened to the Capitol on the receipt of the startling intelligence, and on the 17th a card was published by Senator Foot, inviting those Senators and Representatives who might be in the city the next day to meet at the Capitol, to consider what action they would take in relation to the funeral ceremonies.

The members of the 39th Congress then in Washington met in the Senate reception room, at the Capitol, on the 17th of April, 1865, at noon. Hon. LAFAYETTE S. FOSTER of Connecticut, President pro tem. of the Senate, was called to the chair, and the Hon. SCHUYLER COLFAX of Indiana, Speaker of the House in the 38th Congress, was chosen secretary.

Senator FOOT, of Vermont, who was visibly affected, stated that the object of the meeting was to make arrangements relative to the funeral of the deceased President of the United States.

On motion of Senator SUMNER, of Massachusetts, a committee of four members from each house was ordered to report at 4 p.m., what action would be fitting for the meeting to take. The Chairman appointed Senators Sumner of Massachusetts, Harris of New York, Johnson of Maryland, Ramsey of Minnesota, and Conness of California, and Representatives Washburne of Illinois, Smith of Kentucky, Schenck of Ohio, Pike of Maine, and Coffroth of Pennsylvania; and on motion of Mr. Schenck, the Chairman and Secretary of the meeting were added to the Committee, and then the meeting adjourned until 4 p.m.

The meeting re-assembled at 4 p.m., pursuant to adjournment.

Mr. SUMNER, from the Committee heretofore appointed, reported that they had selected as pall-bearers on the part of the Senate: Mr. Foster of Connecticut; Mr. Morgan of New York; Mr. Johnson of Maryland; Mr. Yates of Illinois; Mr. Wade of Ohio, and Mr. Conness of California. On the part of the House: Mr. Dawes of Massachusetts; Mr. Coffroth of Pennsylvania; Mr. Smith of Kentucky; Mr. Colfax of Indiana; Mr. Worthington of Nevada, and Mr. Washburne of Illinois. They also recommended the appointment of one member of Congress from each State and Territory to act as a Congressional Committee to accompany the remains of the late President to Illinois, and presented the following names as such Committee, the Chairman of the meeting to have the authority of appointing hereafter for the States and Territories not represented to-day from which members may be present at the Capitol by the day of the funeral:

Maine, Mr. Pike; New Hampshire, Mr. E. H. Rollins; Vermont, Mr. Foot; Massachusetts, Mr. Sumner; Rhode Island, Mr. Anthony; Connecticut, Mr. Dixon; New York, Mr. Harris Pennsylvania, Mr. Cowan; Ohio, Mr. Schenck; Kentucky, Mr. Smith; Indiana, Mr. Julian; Illinois, the delegation; Michigan, Mr. Chandler; Iowa, Mr. Harlan; California, Mr. Shannon; Minnesota, Mr. Ramsey; Oregon, Mr. Williams; Kansas, Mr. S. Clarke; West Virginia, Mr. Whaley; Nevada, Mr. Nye; Nebraska, Mr. Hitchcock; Colorado, Mr. Bradford; Dakota, Mr. Todd; Idaho, Mr. Wallace.

The Committee also recommended the adoption of the following resolution:

Resolved, That the Sergeants-at-Arms of the Senate and House with their necessary assistants be requested to attend the Committee accompanying the remains of the late President, and to make all the necessary arrangements.

All of which was concurred in unanimously.

Mr. SUMNER from the same Committee also reported the following, which was unanimously agreed to:

The members of the Senate and House of Representatives now assembled in Washington, humbly confessing their dependence upon Almighty God who rules all that is done for human good, make haste, at this informal meeting, to express the emotions with which they have been filled by the appalling tragedy which has deprived the Nation of its head and covered the land with mourning; and in further declaration of their sentiments unanimously resolve:

1. That in testimony of their veneration and affection for the illustrious dead, who has been permitted under Providence to do so much for his country and for liberty, they will unite in the funeral services, and by an appropriate Committee will accompany his remains to their place of burial in the State from which he was taken for the national service.

2. That in the life of Abraham Lincoln, who, by the benignant favor of Republican institutions, rose from humble beginnings to the heights of power and fame, they recognize an example of purity, simplicity and virtue, which should be a lesson, to mankind; while in his death they recognize a martyr, whose memory will become more precious as men learn to prize those principles of constitutional order and those rights, civil, political, and human, for which he was made a sacrifice.

3. That they invite the President of the United States, by solemn proclamation, to recommend to the people of the United States to assemble on a day to be appointed by him, publicly to testify their grief, and to dwell on the good which has been done on earth by him whom we now mourn.

4. That a copy of these resolutions be communicated to the President of the United States; and also, that a copy be communicated to the afflicted widow of the late President, as an expression of sympathy in her great bereavement.

The meeting then adjourned.

The funeral ceremonies took place in the East room of the Executive Mansion, at noon, on the 19th of April, and the remains were then escorted to the Capitol, where they lay in state in the rotundo.

On the morning of April 21, the remains were taken from the Capitol and placed in a funeral car, in which they were taken to Springfield, Illinois, accompanied by the Congressional Committee. Halting at the principal cities along the route, that appropriate honors might be paid to the deceased, the funeral cortege arrived on the 3d of May at Springfield, Illinois, and the next day the remains were deposited in Oak Ridge cemetery near that city.

President JOHNSON, in his annual message to Congress at the commencement of the session of 1865-'66, thus announced the death of his predecessor:

"To express gratitude to God, in the name of the people, for the preservation of the United States, is my first duty in addressing you. Our thoughts next revert to the death of the late President by an act of parricidal treason. The grief of the nation is still fresh; it finds some solace in the consideration that-he lived to enjoy the highest proof of its confidence by entering on the renewed term of the Chief Magistracy to which he had been elected that he brought the civil war substantially to a close; that his loss was deplored in all parts of the Union; and that foreign nations have rendered justice to his memory."

Hon. E. B. WASHBURNE, of Illinois, immediately after the President's message had been read in the House of Representatives, offered the following wing joint resolution, which was unanimously adopted:

Resolved, That a committee of one member from each State represented in this House be appointed on the part of this House, to join such committee as may be appointed on the part of the Senate, to consider and report by what token of respect and affection it may be proper for the Congress of the United States to express tho deep sensibility of the nation to the event of the decease of their late President, Abraham Lincoln, and that so much of the message of the President as refers to that melancholy event be referred to said committee.

On motion of Hon. SOLOMON FOOT, the Senate unanimously concurred in the passage of the resolution, and the following joint committee was appointed—thirteen on the part of the Senate and one for every State represented (twenty-four) on the part of the House of Representatives:

That committee, by Hon. Mr. FOOT, made the following report, which was concurred in by both Houses nem. con.

Whereas the melancholy event of the violent and tragic death of Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States, having occurred during the recess of Congress, and the two Houses sharing in the general grief and desiring to manifest their sensibility upon the occasion of the public bereavement: Therefore,

Be it resolved by the Senate, (the House of Representatives concurring,) That the two Houses of Congress will assemble in the Hall of the House of Representatives, on Monday, the 12th day of February next, that being his anniversary birthday, at the hour of twelve meridian, and that, in the presence of the two Houses there assembled, an address upon the life and character of Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States, be pronounced by Hon. Edwin M. Stanton; and that the President of the Senate pro tempore and the Speaker of the House of Representatives be requested to invite the President of the United States, the heads of the several Departments, the judges of the Supreme Court, the representatives of the foreign governments near this Government, and such officers of the army and navy as have received the thanks of Congress who may then be at the seat of Government, to be present on the occasion.

And be it further resolved, That the President of the United States be requested to transmit a copy of these resolutions to Mrs. Lincoln, and to assure her of the profound sympathy of the two Houses of Congress for her deep personal affliction, and of their sincere condolence for the late national bereavement.

The Hon. GEORGE BANCROFT of New York, in response to an invitation from the joint committee, consented to deliver the address, (Mr. Stanton having previously declined.)

On the morning of the 12th of February, 1865, the Capitol was closed to all except the members of Congress. At ten o'clock the doors leading to the rotundo were opened to those to whom tickets of admission had been extended, and the spacious galleries of the House of Representatives were soon crowded. The Speaker's desk was draped in mourning, and chairs were placed upon the floor for the invited guests.

At 12.30 p.m., the members of the Senate, following their President pro tempore and their Secretary, and preceded by their Sergeant-at-Arms, entered the Hall of the House of Representatives and occupied the seats reserved for them on the right and left of the main aisle.

The President pro tempore occupied the Speaker's chair, the Speaker of the House sitting at his left. The Chaplains of the Senate and of the House were seated on the right and left of the Presiding Officers of their respective Houses.

Shortly afterward the President of the United States, with the members of his Cabinet, entered the Hall and occupied seats, the President in front of the Speaker's table, and his Cabinet immediately on his right.

Immediately after the entrance of the President, the Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States entered the Hall and occupied seats next to the President, on the right of the Speaker's table.

The others present were seated as follows:

The Heads of Departments, with the Diplomatic Corps, next to the President, on the left of the Speaker's table;

Officers of the Army and Navy, who, by name, have received the thanks of Congress, next to the Supreme Court, on the right of the Speaker's table;

Assistant Heads of Departments, Governors of States and Territories, and the Mayors of Washington and Georgetown, directly in the rear of the Heads of Departments;

The Chief Justice and Judges of the Court of Claims, and the Chief Justice and Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia, directly in the rear of the Supreme Court;

The Heads of Bureaus in the Departments, directly in the rear of the officers of the Army and Navy;

Representatives on either side of the Hall, in the rear of those invited, four rows of seats on either side of the main aisles being reserved for Senators;

The Orator of the day, Hon. George Bancroft, at the table of the Clerk of the House;

The Chairmen of the Joint Committee of Arrangements, at the right and left of the orator, and next to them the Secretary of the Senate and the Clerk of the House;

The other officers of the Senate and of the House, on the floor at the right and the left of the Speaker's platform.

When order was restored, at twelve o'clock and twenty minutes p.m., the Marine band, stationed in the vestibule, played appropriate dirges.

Hon. LAFAYETE S. FOSTER, President pro tempore of the Senate, called the two Houses of Congress to order at 12.30.

Rev. DR. BOYNTON, Chaplain of the House, offered the following prayer:

Almighty God, who dost inhabit eternity, while we appear but for a little moment and then vanish away, we adore The Eternal Name. Infinite in power and majesty, and greatly to be feared art Thou. All earthly distinctions disappear in Thy presence, and we come before Thy throne simply as men, fallen men, condemned alike by Thy law, and justly cut off through sin from communion with Thee. But through Thy infinite mercy, a new way of access has been opened through Thy Son, and consecrated by His blood. We come, in that all-worthy Name, and plead the promise of pardon and acceptance through Him. By the imposing solemnities of this scene we are carried back to the hour when the nation heard, and shuddered at the hearing, that Abraham Lincoln was dead—was murdered. We would bow ourselves submissively to Him by whom that awful hour was appointed. We bow to the stroke that fell on the country in the very hour of its triumph, and hushed all its shouts of victory to one voiceless sorrow. "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." The shadow of that death has not yet passed from the heart of the nation, as this national testimonial bears witness to-day. The gloom thrown from these surrounding emblems of death is fringed, we know, with the glory of a great triumph, and the light of a great and good man's memory. Still, O Lord, may this hour bring to us the proper warning! "Be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh." Any one of us may be called as suddenly as he whom we mourn.

We worship Thee as the God of our fathers. Thou didst trace for them a path over the trackless sea, and bring them to these shores, bearing with them the seed of a great dominion. We thank Thee that the life-power of the young nation they planted, received from Thee such energy, guidance, and protection, that it spread rapidly over the breadth of the continent, carrying with it Christian liberty, churches, schools, and all the blessings of a Christian civilization. We thank Thee that the progress of the true American life has been irresistible, because sustained by Thy eternal counsels and Thy almighty power, and because the might of God was in this national life. We have seen it sweeping all opposition away, grinding great systems and parties to powder, and breaking in pieces the devices of men; and Thou hast raised up for it heroic defenders in every hour of peril. We thank Thee, O Strong Defender! And when treason was hatching its plot and massing its armies, then, O God of Israel, who didst bring David from the sheepfold, Thou gavest one reared in the humble cabin to become the hope and stay of this great people in their most perilous hour, to shield them in disaster and lead them to final victory.

We thank Thee that Thou gavest us an honest man, simple-hearted and loving as a child, but with a rugged strength that needed only culture and discipline. Thanks be to God that this discipline was granted him through stern public trial, domestic sorrow, and Thy solemn providences, till the mere politician was overshadowed by the nobler growth of his moral and spiritual nature, till he came, as we believe, into sympathy with Christ, and saw that we could succeed only by doing justice. Then, inspired by Thee, he uttered those words of power which changed three millions of slaves into men—the great act which has rendered his name forever illustrious and secured the triumph of our cause. We think of him almost as the prophet of his era. Thou didst make that honest, great-hearted man the central figure of his age, setting upon goodness, upon moral grandeur, the seal of Thine approval and the crown of victory. We bless Thee that he did not die until assured of victory, until he knew that his great work was done, and he had received all the honor that earth could bestow, and then we believe Thou didst give him a martyr's crown. We thank Thee that we have this hope for the illustrious dead.

Great reason have we also to thank Thee that such was the enduring strength of our institutions that they received no perceptible shock from the death of even such a man and in such an hour, and that Thou didst provide for that perilous moment one whose strength was sufficient to receive and bear the weight of government, and who, we trust, will work out the great problem of Christian freedom to its final solution, and by equal law and equal rights bind this great people into one inseparable whole.

We thank Thee that the representatives of the nation have come to sit to-day in the shadow of Abraham Lincoln's tomb, to express once more their now chastened sorrow. May they all reconsecrate themselves to those principles which made him worthy to be remembered thus, and then a redeemed and transfigured land will be a fitting monument for him and for them.

Endow the President with wisdom equal to his great responsibilities, that the blessings of a whole nation may also be given to him. May his advisers, our judges, and our legislators, be constantly instructed by Thee.

May Thy blessing rest on the officers of the army and navy, by whose skill and courage our triumph was won; upon our soldiers and sailors; upon our people, and on those who are struggling on toward a perfect manhood.

Bless these eminent men the honored representatives of Foreign Powers. Remember the sovereigns and people they represent. We thank Thee that peace reigns with them as with us. May it continue until the nations shall learn war no more.

Remember Abraham Lincoln's widow and family. Comfort them in their sore bereavement. May they be consoled to know how much the father and husband is loved and honored still.

Give Divine support to the distinguished orator of the day. May he so speak as to impress the whole nation's mind. Prepare us to live as men in this age should, that we may be received into Thy Heavenly Kingdom, and to Thy name shall be the praise and the glory forevermore. Amen.

Hon. LAFAYETTE S. FOSTER, President pro tempore of the Senate, in introducing the orator of the day, said:

No ordinary occasion could have convened this august assemblage. For four weary years, the storm of war, of civil war, raged fiercely over our country. The blood of the best and bravest of her sons was freely shed to preserve her name and place among the nations of the earth. In April last, the dark clouds which had so long hung heavily and gloomily over our heads, were all dispersed, and the light of peace, more welcome even than the vernal sunshine, gladdened the eyes and the hearts of our people. Shouts of joy and songs of triumph echoed through the land. The hearts of the devout poured themselves in orisons and thanksgivings to the God of battles and of nations that the most wicked and most formidable rebellion ever known in human history had been effectually crashed, and our country saved.

In the midst of all this abounding joy, suddenly and swiftly as the lightning's flash came the fearful tidings that the Chief Magistrate of the Republic—our President—loved and honored as few men ever were—so honest, so faithful, so true to his duty and his country, had been foully murdered—had fallen by the bullet of an assassin. All hearts were stricken with horror. The transition from extreme joy to profound sorrow was never more sudden and universal. Had it been possible for a stranger, ignorant of the truth, to look over our land, he would have supposed that there had come upon us some visitation of the Almighty not less dreadful than that which once fell on ancient Egypt on that fearful night when there was not a house where there was not one dead.

The nation wept for him.

After being gazed upon by myriads of loving eyes, under the dome of this magnificent Capitol, the remains of our President were borne in solemn procession through our cities, towns, and villages, all draped in the habilaments of sorrow, the symbols and tokens of profound and heartfelt grief, to their final resting-place in the capital of his own State. There he sleeps, peacefully, embalmed in his country's tears.

The Senate and House of Representatives of the United States have deemed it proper to commemorate this tragic event by appropriate services. This day, the birth-day of him whom we mourn, has properly been selected. An eminent citizen, distinguished by his labors and services in high and responsible public positions at home and abroad—whose pen has instructed the present age in the history of his country, and done much to transmit the fame and renown of that country to future ages—Hon. George Bancroft—will now deliver a discourse.

Hon. GEORGE BANCROFT (who on coming forward to the Clerk's desk was greeted with warm demonstrations of applause) then proceeded to deliver the Memorial Address.

The exercises of the day were closed by the following prayer and benediction by the Rev. Dr. GRAY, Chaplain of the Senate:

God of a bereaved nation, from Thy high and holy Habitation look down upon us and suitably impress us to-day, with a sense that God only is great. Kings and Presidents die; but Thou, the Universal Ruler, livest to roll on thine undisturbed affairs forever, from Thy Throne. A wail has gone up from the heart of the nation to heaven—O, hear, and pity, and assuage, and save. We pray that Thou wilt command thy blessing now, which is life forevermore, upon the family of the President dead; upon the President living upon the Ministers of state; upon the united Houses of Congress; upon the Judges of our Courts; upon the officers of the Army and the Navy; upon the broken families and desolated homes all over the laud; and especially upon the nation. And grant that grace and peace and mercy from the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of God the Spirit, may rest upon and abide with us all, forever and ever. Amen.

The Senators then returned to the Senate Chamber, and the President of the United States, the orator of the day, and the invited guests withdrew, the Marine Band, stationed in the amphitheater, performing national airs.

Hon. E. B. WASHBURNE, of Illinois, after the House had resumed the transaction of business, by unanimous consent, introduced the following concurrent resolutions; which were read, considered, and agreed to:

Resolved, (the Senate concurring,) That the thanks of Congress be presented to Hon. George Bancroft for the appropriate memorial address delivered by him on the life and services of Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States, in the Representatives Hall before both Houses of Congress and their invited guests, on the 12th day of February, 1866, and that he be requested to furnish a copy for publication.

Resolved, That the chairmen of the joint committee appointed to make the necessary arrangements to carry into effect the resolution of this Congress in relation to the memorial exercises in honor of Abraham Lincoln be requested to communicate to Mr. Bancroft the aforegoing resolution, receive his answer thereto, and present the same to both Houses of Congress.

These resolutions were transmitted to the Senate, where, on motion of the Hon. Solomon Foot, of Vermont, they were considered by unanimous consent, and concurred in.

In the Senate, on the 16th of February, Hon. Mr. FOOT stated that in pursuance of the concurrent resolutions of the two Houses of Congress adopted on the 12th instant, the chairmen of the joint committee of arrangements on the memorial exercises of the late President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, had placed a certified copy of said concurrent resolutions in the hands of Hon. George Bancroft, and had requested of him a copy of his address on the occasion referred to for publication, as would appear from the following correspondence, which he moved be read, laid upon the table, and printed.

As no objection was made, the Secretary read as follows:

THE CAPITOL, WASHINGTON,
February 13, 1866.

SIR: We have the honor to present to you an official copy of the two concurrent resolutions adopted by the Senate and House of Representatives on the 12th instant, expressing the thanks of Congress for the appropriate memorial address delivered by you on the life and services of Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States, and instructing us to request from you a copy of the address for publication.

Having shared the high gratification of hearing the address, we take pleasure, in accordance with the second of the concurrent resolutions, in requesting you to furnish a copy of the address for publication.

We have the honor to be, with very great respect, your obedient servants,

SOLOMON FOOT,
Chairman on the part of the Senate

E B. WASHBURNE,
Chairman on the part of the House.

Hon. GEORGE BANCROFT.

WASHINGTON, D. C., February 14, 1866.

GENTLEMEN: I have received your letter of yesterday and a copy of the two concurrent resolutions of Congress to which you refer. The thanks of the Senate and House of Representatives, for the performance of the duty assigned me, I value as a very distinguished honor, and I shall cheerfully furnish a copy of the address for publication.

I remain, gentlemen, very sincerely yours,
GEORGE BANCROFT.

Hon. SOLOMON FOOT,
Chairman on the part of the Senate.

Hon. E B. WASHBURNE,
Chairman on the part of the House.

In the House of Representatives, Hon. E. B. WASHBURNE, of Illinois, made the same statement, and, after the correspondence submitted had been read, the House ordered an edition of twenty thousand extra copies.