Extract from the Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson Coolidge
November 6. Election day. Lincoln and Hamlin were chosen. Every Republican member of Congress from Massachusetts has been elected except Burlingame, who was defeated to my great joy by Mr. William Appleton. I had worked so hard that I was attacked by fever and violent cold, brought on by excitement and exposure, but leeches and mustard poultices set me on my legs again. A great panic in the money market is caused by Abraham Lincoln’s election. Exchange fell to par. Money not to be had on the best paper, as the banks are unable or afraid to discount. The New York banks have agreed to give each other credit on stock securities to the extent of five millions. The Boston banks propose to take the bills of each other in settlement at the clearing house to a moderate extent. Mr. Appleton has a very despairing letter from his friend Governor Aiken of South Carolina. He thinks that nothing can prevent the State from seceding and believes that others will follow.