YOL. 48. AMERICAN VOLUNTEER. PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY MORI) IK 3 DT JOUN B. BRATTON T E RM S Subscription. —One Dollar and Fifty Cents, paid in advance; Two D n llars if paid within the year; and Two Dollars and Fifty Cents, if not paid within the year. These terms will bo rigidly adhered to in every instance. No subscription discontinued until all arrearages are paid unless at the option of the Editor. Advertisements —-Accompanied by the cash, an not c.xccadiuff one square, will bo inserted three times for One Dollar, and twenty-five cents for each additional insertion. Thpso.of a greater length in proportion. ' ’ Job-Piuktino—Such as Hand-bills, Posting-bills, Pamphlets, Blanks, Labels, Ac. ie., executed with accuracy and at the shortest notice. ■ GOVERNORS MESSAGE. To the Honorable the Senate and House of . Jtepresentatives of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; Gentlemen: It has pleased Divine Provi- =errniCC,' ua. LO gao uy abundant crops, unbroken pence within our borders, unanimity among our people, and thus to enable .this Commonwealth to do her full duty to the country, to herself, and to posterity. For these blessings wo have cause to bo grateful. ’ ■ The balance in tbo Treasury on tbo . the 31)tli November, 1860, was ‘ $081,433 ..OS Tbo receipts during tbo fiscal year ' ending November 30, IBCI, were us , follows': From ordinary sources, $3,017,043 57 From loan uu-' \ der actof April 12, 'Ol, at Opor cent, interest, . and negotiated at par -4.70,000 00 From 0 per emit, loan uu' der -act of May 15, •' 1801, .also’ negotiated at par, From Society of Clacin- 2,013,150 00 nati,' •; From United Staten, on account©!' military cx ! ponses, From paymasters and otlio’rs, .refunded; —0,743.525 02 Total nto Treasury'for fiscal year end ing -November 30,18431, • And pay men td as foil own; X'ur ordinary purposes, ?3,1-14,J.50 31 X'or military • expenses, ■ under, act • April 12, •1801, $174,873 85 . ■Do, act May-* , • 15, 1801, 1,758,102. itS J>o, act May • 10, ISOI,' 170,535 51 •-’•A ; $2,353,872 6t. Amount loan under uu act l2, ISO I, ro-: I’uiil, ’ Soaring- tjil.'incc in Trcjieur,', X'jVLin ; l»cr 3(1, ISUI, ' ' PUBLIC I)i;nT— rij>L)Ll) AND UNTU.VBiiiL Receiv'4 from temporary bniu,•under dot oX April • 12, i6UI, ' Unpaid.as above ■■■ ?$475,000 01) .375,000 00 Outstanding November,3o, 1801 .llecclvcd'.-from loan un- der uft of May 15, 'Ol. 'Amountof. public debt, ■ funded.and Unfunded, 37,909,847 50 101,331.42 , Nov 30.1800 ■Paid during fiscal year TtomaiDiDg unpalii, (ex clusive ol‘ military loans above mentioned,) Nov .ao, ISO I. 37,868,516 OS v OB frUSCKII'TS AND EXPENDIT.UHCS OP SHLiTAIiV LOANS lUiceipfs under the act of April 12,1301 .Receipts underthc act«f May 15, 1801 5,(112,150 00 paymasters,. and others,.refunded $3,119,379 45 Paid for military expen se, us above Paid for redeeming loan, • act of April 12 375,000 ,00 2,353j572 04 Unexpended of military loans #90,507 41 receipts axi) jSxrKxmTimns of ordinakv eev- ENUE, Ualanoo in treasury from ordinary sources, No vember SO, 1800 . Received from ordinary sources during fiscal' year $681,433 08 3,017,645.57 3,699,078 65 Paid forordinary expen ses, us above 3,144,480.34. Unexpended of ordinary revenue Received ■ from United States on account of . military expenses Iloceived fr.>m Society of - Giuciunu.il Utilanco in Trodsury, ay above It will bo observed that the fiscal yearends oil tho 30th of -November, and the sinking fund year ori'tho first Monday.in September, which accounts for the apparent deficiency in the amount of-debt paid as stated in the Treas urer’s report, and by the Commissioners of tho Sinking Fund. The Statojbna on hand a surplus of iit.iforiua and equipments which cost about §190,000, which the United States have agreed to take and pay for at cost. Ar rangements have been made with tho Gen eral Government for tho re-imbursemont of tho military expenses of the State since the 27th of July last. The bills as paid are for warded to Washington and partial repay ments have already been made. It will bo observed that the receipts from ordinary sources of revonuefor theyoar 1861, liavo decreased; but as payments have boon made oii some of them since the settlement at the end of the fiscal year, on the first of De cember, and more may reasonably Pe' expect ed in addition to the payments to bo made by the National Government, ns hereinafter sta ted, the balance available in the Treasury will be largely increased. It will also be observed that it has not yet been, found necessary to call in all of the loan effected under the act of the 15th of May last. In some items the ordinary revenue of 1861 was in excess of that of 1860. , Tbe oau a-nthorized by the act of May 15, I®6l. was taken at par. This occurrence, most gratifying under all the then existing circumstances of embarrassment, affords tri umphant evidence of the coufidenoo of tho people in tho stability and integrity of the v.ommoawoalth, and of their determination to support the:Government. The operations of the Sinking Fund during the last year have been, as shown by my 1 issuecfin conformity with the law, the five per cent, bonds mentioned in the fifth section of the act (exdfjrt those belonging to the State and now in the Sinking Fund) having been, previously'surrendered and cancelled, and satisfaction entered on the record of the mortgage mentioned in said fifth-section.— Having received notice from the company that the bonds so delivered to the company, or their probeeds, had been appropriated, in accordance with the provissions of the law, oh the 21st of June last I appointed John A. Wright as Commissioner, to examine and to report to mo whether said bonds, or their pro ceeds, hae been appropriated to-the purposes required by the act. His report has not yet been received by me. .- It is understood that arrangements have ot last been made, under which the direct rail road connection between Philadelphia and ■ Erie.will be completed within a short time.— . It is impossible to estimate too highly the im portance of this great work to the Common wealth, and especially to Philadelphia and Erie and the hitherto neglected counties near its route west of the Susquehanna. . By the act of tho2lst of April, 1858, for the sole of the State canals to the Sunbury and Erie railroad .company, it was provided that if that company should sell said canals for a greater sum'in the aggregate than three and' ■a half millions of dollars, seventy-five per .centum of such excess should bo paid to the Commonwealth by a transfer of so much of such bonds and securities as said company should receive for the same, and payable in ■ like manner, ' The company sold the canals and reported that tho share of the profit on such sale, due to tho Commonwealth, was $281,250, of which §250 was paid in cash, and for theremaining §281,000 liho: Common wealth received, coupon r biinil's of the WyomihgioannV company to that amount, beingaportion of bonds for §900,000 issued by that company and scoured by a mortgage of the Wyoming banal, formerly called tho Lower North Branch canal; These bonds bear an interest of six percent, per annum, payable acmi-amm.-Jly on the loth of January and July, and the interest was paid by the company to January last inclusive. — 1 The interest duo in July last has not been paid. Judgments having been obtained a gainst tbe company bn some of the coupons for the unpaid July-interest, a bill in equity was filed in tho Supreme Court hyn bond and stockholder, in which such proceedings were had that by a decree made on the 2d Septem ber last the property and affairs of tho com pany were placed in tho hands of a receiver. •A plan has been suggested for the assent of the stock and bondholders, which contemplates a sale of the canal under lawful process and a purchase of the same for the purpose of form ing anew' company, of which the capital stock shall hb one million of dollars, divided into twenty thousand shares of fifty dollars each— of which each assenting holder,of a mortgage bond for one thousand dollars shall he enti tled, to eighteen shaves, and each assenting holder of fifty shares of stock of the Wyoming canal company, shall be entitled to nine shares. Of course no officer of tho Common wealth had authority to assent to the propo sal, or in any way to affect her position. It is believed also that the plan is not one that ought to ho assented to by the Commonwealth, and that, under all the cifeumstances, if the convenience of individual parties requires a change such as proposed, the debt duo to this Commonwealth ought to be first p’aid or fully secured. [ ■ I suggest that the act passed Bth of April, 1801, entitled “ An art concerning the sale of railroads, canals, &0.,” should be modified so that in nil cases in which a dett may bo due to tho Commonwealth by the company as whose property a public work may be sold, thb purchasers thereof shall not bo entitled to tho benefits and privileges conferred by the act, unless they shall have first paid the debt due to tho State, or secured the same by their bonds to the Commonwealth secured by a first mortgage on tho work itself. I commend the subject to the immediate consideration of tho Legislature, as an offori 500 00 000,000 00. 32,229 45 lO r.7,5;00n on' ■■. ; - OS .■5:.5J1.0M5 72 $lOO,OOO r OO 2,012,150 ftfi $-175,000 00 32,229 45 2,728,872 0- 554,508 31 606,000 00 500 00 may be made at an early day to enforce a sale of the canal, and some provision by law to protect the interests of the State would in that case be necessary. The wicked and monstrous rebellion which broke out many months ago has not yet been quelled. Every sentiment of loyalty and pa triotism demands its effectual suppression. In my messages of the ,9th and 30lh of April last, I set forth at length my views of tho character and objects of the contest which is still pending. Subsequent reflection has confirmed me in the correctness of the opin ions then expressed, and towhioh I refer. In addition it ought to bo understood, that, look ing to tho variety and character of her pro ductsaud industry, her material intofostalone would render the preservation of the Union from the present assault upon it indispensa ble to Pennsylvania. She cannot afford to have a foreign power below or above or bound ing her on tho Delaware, tho Chesapeake or the Mississippi, and she will never acquiesce in such a result, whatever may be the cost, in men and money of her resistance to it. On tho 9th of April last I directed the at tention of the Legislature to the necessity which existed’ for an, improved military or ganisation, and on tho 12th of tho same month the atet, entitled “ An Aot for the bettor or ganization of tho militia of this Common wealth,” passed, appropriating the sum of $500,000 for the purpose of organizing, equip pingand arming tho militia. On tho 15th of April, the President, by proclamation, called for a military force of seventy-five thousand men, of which the quota assigned to Pennsyl vania was at firatsixtoon (afterwards reduced to fourteen] regiments to serve as infantry or riflemen, for the term of throe months unless sooner discharged. This call was enthusias tically responded to by the people of Penn sylvania. Tho first military aidfrom tho loy 1,551,605 72 proclamation of sth of September last, as ■fol lows: . , Debt redeemed from 4th September, l nnnonl : M 1860, to Ist Soptombor, 1861 $300,801 01 Of stock loans -, 3 °2’Son n? Of Interest certifioates J,tJdU oi ofreliofnotoB , - 01 I refer to the reports of the State Treas urer and Auditor General for the details of the financial affairs of the Commonwealth.— The reports of the Surveyor General and State Librarian will exhibit the state of the departr meets under their care. The Commissioners of the Sinking Fund during the last spring received from tho Phil adelphia and Erie (late Snnbury and Brie) railroad company, forty bonds of that compa ny for §lOO,OOO each,*and a mortgage to se cure the same, executed in conformity with the third section of tho act of March the 7th, 1861. That company has also deposited .in the State Treasury its bonds to the amount of §5,000,000 00, in accordance with the. sixth section of the same act. On the 9th of May last. X granted my . warrant authorizing the State Treasurer to deliver to the said compa ny one thousand of said bonds, being to the amount of §1.01).Q..0.0Q,Q0..._.Thia warraiit_wji.a. "OUR COUNTRY—STAY IT ALWAYS BE RIGHT—BUT, RIGHT OR WRONG, OUR COUNTRY." ' al States, which the government received at Washington, was a Pennsylvania corps which arrived there prior to the 19th of April. On that day the passage of other corps from this and other States through Baltimore was im peded by force and during nearly two weeks afterwards the communication between Wash ington ond the loyal States was almost en tirely cut off. On the 19th I received a re quest from the War Department that the troops preparing in this State should be clothed, armed, equipped, subsisted and trans ported by the State in consequence of the then inability of the United States. This request was of course complied with, and twenty-five regiments, (being eleven regiments beyond our quota,) comprising twenty thousand one hundred and seventy-five men from Ponnsyl vania served for the term of three months un der the President’s proclamation above re ferred to. As the furnishing those volunteers with supplies was necessarily under the cir cumstances a hurried operation, and as com plaints were made in regard to them, and frauds wore alleged to have been-perpetrated, I appointed a board of commissioners to inves tigate the whole subject. A copy their re port with the evidence taken by them has been already laid before the public. It is the ; TOT("™^-' - 1 ’ “ - ■-> the r* -CnTibn or tne Auditor Generaftb open no accounts of such,parties asappear‘by the tes timony to have been overpaid, and this course has already been taken in,two of those cases. 'On the expiration of the term of the three months men in July last, s:me eight of ten thousand discharged Ponhsylyaniayolunteers were- thmvn into Harrisburg without notice and detained here, waiting.to be paid, for an average time of some ten days. Their tents, camp equipage and cookingutonsils had been taken from them at AVilliamsport, Maryland, and they arrived hero destitute of all means of shelter and of preparing their food. The Commissary of the United Slates furnished uncooked rations, and under the circumstam ces of emergency I deemed it necessary to make arrangements for aiding in the cooking and baking of the rations, and also for fur nishing meals to such of the regiments ns ar rived during the night, or under circumstan ces requiring instant relief. The expenses at tending these operations amounted so far as ascertained to §744,20 and I recommend that the Legislature make an appropriation to pay them! It ought to be stated that these expen ses would have. beCn much larger, but for the liberal and patriotic efforts of the citizens, and especially the ladies of Harrisburg; their free handed.hospitality and generous aid to our wearied and hungry soldiers, deserve rememboranco and gratitude. . At the special session of the Legislature, which commenced on the 30th of April last, I recommended the organization of a Reserve Corps, to be armed, equipped, clothed, subsist ed and paid by the State, and drilled in camps of. instruction, in anticipation of the exigen cies of the countryTaridi by the act of the 15 th of Stay last auoli a corps was directed to bo raised, and a loan of $3,0000000 was au thorized, ,tn defray the,expends,of that, I'vuV; 'other military preparations. 'fiSilJihi'ice than sufficient in number tolorm some ten regiments of the Reserve Corps had, previous to the 15th of May been accepted by mo in pursuance of a call on mo (afterwards rescinded) for twen fivo regiments, and were then already assem bled andeubject to my control. Most of .those ■men volunteered for the Reserve Corps, and were immediately organized. The remaining regiments were rapidly recruited, and the corps was thus completed, and George A. McCall, of Chester county, was commissioned as Major General, and assigned to the com mand of all the forces raised or to be raised under tlio provisions of the last mentioned act. The regiments composing the Reserve Corps' were instruclcd in four camps in diff erent parts of the State, until they were tn-. ken into the . service of tlio United States. Two regiments, under commands of Colon.el Charles Jf. Biddle and Sernica G. Simmons, ami two companies of artillery, under the com mand of Col. Charles T. Campbell, at the pressing instance of the War Department, were sent on the 22d of June last to the re lief of Col. Wallace, nt Cumberland, and re mained for about six weeks there and in West ern Virginia, engaged in activp operatiflns. Towards the close of July the whole corps was called, for under requisition, and taken into the service of the United States. Within four days after the disaster at Bull Run, clov en regiments of this fine body of men (armed, drilled, clothed, equipped, and in .all respects ready for active service) were in Washington. The regiments and companies from Western Virginia and the remaining two regiments, making the whole number of fifteen, soon joined them there, and they are all now in , service, under the command of Gen. McCall, . who has been commissioned as a Brigadier , Goneralby the United States. j These fifteen regiments contain fifteen thou sand eight hundred and fifty six men, and constitute a division eomprisng the brigades, a regiment of artillery, and one of cavalry. The whole expense of rasing, clothing, equipp ing, subsisting and paying the Reserve Corps, (including the expenses of and fitting the camps of instruction, of recruiting, and supplying regimental flags, and the ex penses of the campaign of the two regiments and companies in Maryland and Western Virginia, which were all defrayed by the State,) has amounted to $855,4-14,87. This does not include the transportation on rail roads, as tho separation of that account would have been a work of great labor, nor does it include tho pay of the two regiments during the campaign, but it does include all the ex penses, which were heavy of teams and "trans portation, not on railroads, for the campaign above mentioned. Twelve regiments of tho Reserve Corps were paid,-subsistcd, &c., by the Slate to tho average date of 22d July. The two regiments in Western Virginia,were paid by the State to tho date of their departure from Harrisburg on that expedition. The cavalry regiment was not paid by the State. It will bo perceived that tho whole aver age expense per man was $53.95. Previous to tho 31st of April last a regi ment had been enlisted in tho city of Erie from North-western Pennsylvania- When tho call was made on me oiithiitday, fur twen ty-live additional regiments, tho Erie regiment was ordered to march to Harrisburg. Ihe call was rescinded, however, before the regi ment reached, Pittsburg, and I ordered it to 'encamp at that city, where it roinainod until tho 30th of Juno. Tho national Government declined to muster the regiment into service, as till existing requisitions made on tho State were more than filled. Much apprehension existed in the Western and South-western borders of tho State, and it was deemed prudent to retain tho regiment at Pittsburg to meet any emergency that might arise. After tho passage ol tho act of 15th May. 181)1, it was expected that this regiment would form part of tho Reserve Volunteer Corps j but as tho men bad boon a long time from home and remained inactive in camp, they declined entering tho , service, and wore subsisted and paid up to the 30th of June by tho State. Two regiments have since been en listed from tho same part of Pennsylvania at CARLISLE, PA., THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1862. the city of Erie, one ,of which has . been a* Washington in the service since September, and the other is now ready for marching or ders—and it is duo to the first Erie, regiment to say that most of the men are now in ser vice. Further requisitions for sixteen regiments of infantry and two regiments of cavalry wore shortly afterwards made by the War Depart ment. Of these, sixteen have already been raised and are in service of the United States, and the remaining two are in the course of or ganization and nearly ready to march. In addition to the requisitions on the State the War Department had given authorities to numerous individuals to raise volunteers in Pennsylvania, but as that system was found to create much embarrassment, a general or der was issued by-tho War Department on the 25th ot September,,placing all such organiza tions under the control: of the Governor, and shortly afterwards a requisition was made on the State to increase her quota to seventy-five thousand men. Those independent organiza tions, as they were colled, thus became Penn sylvania regiments, and ns completed and sent forward form part of the quota of the- State. Tho State regiments have been numbered-,' and the last_to_thia-dato is mimbaMiil—nnn hundred and fifteen. Two of the three months’ roginionts have continued in service under tho latter requisitions, and -retain their original numbers. Deducting the remaining twenty three three months’ regiments, there nro nino T ty-two regiments in service’atid preparing for it. Wo have also .in service and prepar ing twenty- foqr companies. Tho following tabic of the existing Penn sylvania vohfnteer force is given for informa tion : . nuoisENTS iy .service. GO regiments of infantry, of wliiek 0 wore rifle regiments , II do ' cavalry 1 regiment Of artillery, COMPANIES IN SERVICE. 7 companies of infantry 6 do cavalry C do artillery Enlistments in other than 'Pennsylvania organizations, estimated, (tbo officers of which aro ia coarse of being commis sioned,) - • Total in service REGIMENTS PREPARING SERVICE. 12 regiments of infantry _ . 13,092 1 rbgimont of cavalry 1,136 1 do artillery k 1,077 COMPANIES PREPARING FOR SERVICE 109 624 1 company of cavalry, companies of artillery •y.-; .j- '■ ' vn. service ‘ ’ r'rcp.uHng for service^ 1 ry, Ponnsylvauia’s contribution. 109,016 Exclusive .of 2u; X 7- Lhroo months’; men now dis banded. Tim. regiments preparing for son-ice are in complete. Those that may not bo filled by, the IGth instant will be consolidated and sent forward. Of the regiments in service, the 11th and Jsth h-egiuiohts of infantry are at Annapolis; the 28th, 29th, 21th, 65th, 60th, 71st, 72d and 106th regiments and one compa ny of infantry are. in the- command of Major General Banks;; the' 4Sih, 50th, 55th and 100th rogimoutsof infantry arein South Caroli na; the 48th infan try Are at Hatteras Inlet; the 108th infantry and Tlth cavalry are at Fortress the 76th, 78th, and 791 h, infantry, the 7tK.and9th cavalry, one troop of horse, onesquadof cavalry, two battalions of artillery are iO.Kphtuoky; the 84th and 110th infantry are:.iai't'tVestern Virginia, as are also three companies of infantry, four- compa nies of light artillery; the 87th infantry are at Cuokcysvillbj ih Maryland; one.company of artillery is at Fort Delaware; all the remain der of the volunteers are at or near Washing ton. Upwards of throe hundred volunteers from Pennsylvania are now prisoners, but as arrangements have been made for the ex change of prisoners it may bo expected'that they will soon bo released. In compliance with the joint resolutions of the 16th of M’ay last, I have procured regi mental flags fur the Pennsylvania volunteers, and have presented them in person to most ol the regiments... In other oases, the regiments being on or near the Potumae, I have request ed Mr. Cowan, Senator, and Messrs. Grow and Wright, members of the llouso of Repre sentatives, from Pennsylvania, to present them in the name of the Commonwealth. The General Government requested that the States would abstain from .purchasing arms, as their competition was found injurious in the market, and in view of the large expenditures of money in arming and equipping the vol unteer force of the State, providing for the dofonoe of the National Government, I did not purchase any as authorized by the twenty eight-section of the net of the 15th of May, 1861. The State has now quite as many arms as are necessary to arm all her volun teer organizations in existence; but, influenc ed by the threatening aspect of our relations with foreign governments, I have directed the Adjutant General to prop.uro arms as soon as it can be’ done on reasonable terms and with nut injurious competition with, the Notional Government. Arms luvVo been distributed among the border counties to all tha orgnniza- ions thathavoboonformoiUoreoolvotliom. One tbousaud nine hundred a.ld thirty arms have been thus distributed. I have also addressed a letter to the commissioners of all the bord er counties, offering arms to them as soon as military organizations shall bo formed to re ceive them. Besides thus complying with the requirmouts of the twenty-seventh section of the act of 15 th May last, X have deemed it pru dent to offer five thousand arms to such mili- tary organizations ns may be formed in Phila delphiaona plan to bo approved by mo as Gom mnnder-in-Ohicf. Muskets and rides to a con siderable extent have boon furnished to' the Pennsylvania volunteers from the State arse nal. Others have boon sent by the United States authorities to arm them before leaving the State, In some oases regiments have gone without arms under assurances from the War Department that they would bearmedutWash ington or other near designated points, and that their immediate departure was required. It was thought wise in these eases not to in sist on the arras being sent before tha rogi mehts marched, as this would have imposed on the Government an unnecessary expense in freight, and would have boon productive of delays which might have been seriously detn- j mental to the public ‘service. lorty-two. pieces of artillery with limbers, caissons, a a*-, gos, ammunition wagons, harness and all too I necessary implements and equipments wore j furnished’ by the State to tbo artillery rogi- j moot of the Deserve Corps, leu of those i were purchased by the State, and has |; been refunded by the United States. Dili- gence has been used in collecting arms through out the State and repairing and altering them in the most approved manner. The State has now 62 pieces of artillery, of which 17 need repairs; 26,753 muskets and rides, some of which are in the hands of me chanics being repaired; 1,910 are in the hands of the volunteer corps throughout the State; 1,930 in the possession of county com missioners. and 1,000 with tho reserve corps of Philadelphia. In addition to this city of Philadelphia has 9 pieces of rifled artillery, and -4,976 muskets and rifles. The State has also in tho arsenal at Har risburg I,{TOG sabres and swords, and 1,957 pis tols, and tho city of Philadelphia has 440 sa bres, and 326 pistols, with tho necessary ac coutrements. There is also in the arsenal at Harrisburg, a large amount of accutrements and ammuni tion for artillery and small arms,. The Adjutant General, is successfully en gaged in collecting arms throughout tho State, and it is expected that tho number above sta ted will be largely iriereased. Probably, at least, 5,000 muskets and rifles and several pieces of artillery will still be collected. u__-3!ho ou’t alarm yourself. If after throe weeks the bullet is not removed, give the boy a chago of powder. Yours, &o. P. S.—Dout shoot the boy at anybody.” This is much akin to the 'laconic prescrip tion of the celebrated Dr. Aboruetby : An Irishman called in groat haste upon the Dr. stating that—“Bo jabors, me boy Tim has s\valled a-mouse 1” “Then be jabers,” said Abornothy, your boy Tim- to swallow a oat.” CU4BGB TO TUB CB4SD JTET , Hon. JAMES 11. GRAHAM. JAJJBARV TEBU, 1802. Gentlemen of. the Grand Jury; In again assuming the duties of the highly responsible position assigned us by the suffrages of the citizens of this Judicial District, it is natural and almost unavoidable, that we should in dulge in a retrospect of the past ten years, when we first -occupied the seat we how-re sume and assuniea the discharge of thosd duties which have again, bcoii committed to our hands; > Then we were a highly favored nation—• the envy and admiration of the civilized world. Peace, Unity and fraternal kindness {irevailed throughout oUr wide domain, and lappiness and contentment, .(the blessings most coveted by man in this world,) appeared to havd selected our beloved country as their favorite abode. 'Our on.wdjfii mdrch to great ness .and''power, during our brief existence as d nation; had been 'unexampled in the worhTa history: and we were.in name-and in Tact, too nappy Homo Of the exiled and op pressed from every laud and clime. Wo boastfully proclaimed to the nations of .the Eastern llomispherc, that the problem of self government had been fully solved, and the principles of civil and religious liberty, firm ly and endurahly established on the Ameri can continent. But within the short period of the past eight months, a most lamentable change has spread over the face of. our hithertoTiappy country. Wo are now in the midst of all the horrors of ci,vil war. A most wicked and.un just rebellion has been inaugurated by the, t desperate counsels of a few bold, bad men of the Southern States, who are now_ attempting to destroy the best and most benignant Gov ern mailt .over devised by man’s wisdom.— These rebel chiefs of the South, by violence and fraud, have usurped the government of their respective States, und. hold the masses captive at their will, bound in the chains of an iron despotism more cruel and relentless than over marked the reign of the most, san guinary despot. _ ' The necessary consequence of this treason able attempt to destroy the Government of the United States, and wipe out .our existence ns a nation, has been to involve the lawfully constituted and legitimate government of the Union, in a desperate and sanguinary conflict with those in armed rebellion against the Constitution and laws, and who With patrici dal hands have torn and sullied and trampled in the dust our national banner. _ Our young, ■ but gigantic natiofti ‘IB now passing through a bloody ordeal, on which depends our national existence, nndbven.vast ly more than the existence and. perpetuity of n nation. The principles of civil liberty, and man’s capability Of self-government 'hang pendant on the issue ; and the problem’now being solved is whether any other GoVern ment than a. Monarchy or Despotism, is capa ble of self-preservation. .. ■: .fvf vf -. Does the Government of those Dinted States —once united, hut now'dissevered —founded upon tlm principles, of .popular sovereignty, that tho people possess sufficient intel ligenoe and honesty to frame their own .laws and se lect tlioir own magistrates, possesefthe power to protect and perpetuate the Government thus formed, and the constitution and, jawaof. tlioir own choice, from the wicked devioSO.-of those who have rebelled against it, and turned traitors to tho constitution and laws of their own formation ? . Erom tho consequences involved in the I present issue, its magnitude and its results for good or evil, cannot be Over-estimated.— While we shudder in horror at the wicked ness of those who have plunged ourhappy and peaceful nation into this unnatural and fratricidal, war, induced by imaginary or an ticipated wrongs, the possibility that the present rebellion may terminate in the dis ruption of our Union, and result in the estab lishment of two or twenty Governments, “dis cordant and belligerent,” is sufficient to fill the heart of every good man with dismay and, terror. ' . In an'issue of such magnitude, involving 1 the existence of a nation, there can be but 1 two sides. On the. one side are those who support the Government, constitution akd laws, pure mid unsullied, without erasure or interpolation, as handed down to us by our revolutionary sires. On the other .are arrayed traitors and rebels—those who are iu armed rebellion against the national Government, their sympathizers, their aiders and abettors; and those' who add fuel to the flames of rebel lion now, so fiercely, raging in the Southern, States, by boastfully proclaiming their hatred and contempt of the constitution and laws, because in their fanaticism they assert that some of the provisions of the constitution and laws of Congress, which ore the supremecivil rule of every patriot’s obedience, are. in con flict with what they term the higher-law; are therefore of no binding validity, and may be violated at pleasure, and with impunity.— Those higher law disciples measure their, al legiance to the Government by their own per verted views of right and wrong, and are wil ling to obey onlysuoh lawsasraectthelrohtire approval; . ’ ■ , , In the present crisis, when our yar, or in any other way, would he guilty of tfrouidu, and k-' able to the punishment of traitors. But the State Courts hi-vc no jurisdiction, over the crime of treason against the United' States. The courts established by' the con-' ~ stitutioa and laws of Congress have exclusive ' jurisdiotiuu of this crime, except so far as tha, -,; laws of a State may recognise treason, either,’; against the Stale or Union us a crimC, an(l proscribe the punishment by State tribunals. In accordance with the legislative power vested in every Stale, which is supremo, ex cept so fur,ns it may conflict with the Consti tution and lawserthe Unitod,States, tbeXag ialuturo of Pennsylvania passed au uot ou the 1 “toll %0. 32.