Vt,tsZ. MQNDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1883 aaPWe can take no notice of anonymous commu nications. We do not return rejected manuscripts. .01r`Voluntary correspondence solicited from all parts of the world, and especially from our different military and naval departments. When used, it Will be paid for. _Trouble among the New York Democracy. Mr. JonN VAN BUREN, in • a recent speech before a Democratic association in : New York city, took occasion to propound : some very strange and startling doctrines. This erratic and flighty politician seems to • cause the members of his last party much . --concern. He cannot be depended upon, and when he makes a new point it is difficult to know whether it .is a jest or a genuine sen '4iment. He has a 'gay and frisky way of dealing with affairs, and would readily play. :a practical joke upon the latest edition of Me Democratic party. Accordingly, when called upon to say a few words to his friends in New York ho very deliberately.: told thein that their. policy had been a .mis take ; that the time for making concessions o the South had passed away; . that while he had been willing to say "wayward sisters depart in peace," it was now neces sary that the wayward sisterhood should remain. Hence, he counselled the Demi cracrto remain and fight the quarrel to the end. He told. them that the only policy that could be recognized was that of recon structing the Union, and that the tra dition Of the party would permit nothing • that did not look to the reconstruction of the Union. We can very readily see what was the controlling • argument in the mind of 111 r.. VAN Bitnirit. He felt that the Demo cratic party had committed the fatal mis take of arraying itself against a war which flattered our national pride, and looked for its termination to the perpetual peace and glory of our Republic: He fancied that the Administration was about to lend itself to the intrigues of Karomorr, and profiting by • the error, he contemplated a graceful and brilliant stroke of policy by which conspi- Tatars against the Union might regain that hold upon the affections of the people which their previous perfidy forfeited. It was not to be suppoSed that ; demon stration like that of-Mr. VAN BUREN'S would be passed unnoticed. The leaders of the New 'York Democracy like • the . Union very well; but it is a union of their own contriving, * union in which New York city may do as she pleases, with a probable prospect of a 'majority of the States following her example. The Union as iti was, and the Union as it should be; according to the New Yorkdefini tion, are very different affairs. The Union as it was contained too much of New Eng land ; it contained the Plymouth Rock ; and as no true Democrat 'could submit to the per petual humiliation of kissing such a Blarny stone, the sooner New England was dis posed of the better. The . Union as it should be—the Union as the New York 'Democracy would like to have it—must have no codfish or spelling-books—no -stars and stripes nor Constitution, and no such- humiliation as the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving Day. These New England Blatea may have all the lumber of the old mansion, even to the crests and title deeds, if they only vacate the premises. This was. the doctrine the New 'York leaders were . . teaching in a few easy lessons with such . men as Cox', and - VALLANDIGIIA3I, and WOOD, as the preceptors. The New York World was coming to it gradually, and there were hopes that the Herald . might be brought around as soon as the wind would permit the sails to be shifted. In the midst of these fond anticipations, , with success very probable, and much to be desired, the defection of Mr. VAN Roam . is embarrassing. The idea ofa Union with the middle States a part of the Southern Confederacy does not please the facile and jaunty Prince. Ile takes high ground : • "The South would not hear of a convention antil after their independence had been re-. -cognized ; and never, while he lived, should that recognition take place if he could help it. They had refused to go into a conven-. tion to remodel the Constitution, while; if they had favored it, a new election for Pm-, sident might have taken place in sixty days. He never doubted that DIMS and the other .. eaclersln.U , i~rnlwllinu. WQ'C'opposeLi"LO - re • 'union, and, therefore, until the South can put down the men who lead her into rebel lion, the war must go on. He was utterly. opposed to accepting mediation front any quarter." the World has been very petulant with Mr. VAx Bunnx for his impertinent declara tion, and not 'wishing to attack him openly ; borrows the pen of a person called Manoxv, a Western demagogue of no standing or in fluence, who became notorious by the zeal of some over-zealous friends, and found himself in the Old Capitol prison. This MARONY, who, according to himself, represents the entire Northwest, protests solemnly against the doctrines of Mr. VAN BUREN. "I say," says MAnoxv, "that the people of that section, especially those of Illinois, Indiana, and lowa, are opposed to a further prosecu tion of the existing war. Whatever they may have thought of the sincerity and mo tives of the Administration previous to the issuance of the proclamation of emancipa tion, the removal of- McCromriarr, the de gradation, so far as it could be done through partisan means of Gen. PORTER, the people of the Northwest generally perceive and properly estimate now the designs of the Administration and of the party which con trols its actions and policy. Some. of us, among whom I was one, never be lieved that the object of the * war was the restoration of the Union." Of course the opinions of Illerroxv are of more 'con sequence than those of such men as Mr. Senator RicuAnnsox, whose declarations in the Senate, a lbw days since, were the same as those of Mr. VAN BUREN, and who, not withstanding his opposition to the Adminis tration, still clings to the Union. General McCLEnwartn, General Loilax, and General HOVE . Y have also had some connection with the Democracy of the Northwest, and have been very decided in their allegiance to the Union ;' but what do men - Who have been fighting know about the feeling of the De mocracy in their respective States? If they had remained at home, denounced the Union and the 'war, declared that " they never be- lieved the object of the war was for the re storation of the Union," and been sent to prison for treason, they might be supposed to know something of the people's sentiments. This is. the position of the demagogue MABONY, and the World accordingly pa rades him in large type, as a warning to all who may think with Mr. Vax Bunmi. "In times like these," says the World, commenting epon MAnoxy's manifesto, "nothing is more perilous than to ignore tihe opinions of large masses of men who are rapidly growing to be a majority in au important section'of the Union. We have for several . weeki been watching, with intense solicitude and concern, the tenden cies of public opinion in the West, of which. we have now stated the main causes, as nearly as 'we can ascertain them.. Both the facts and the causes which have led to them challenge the prompt and earnest att ention, .of the Government. If the policy „kr the .Administration is .not speedily changed, we Jeer that thc,calamities of the next six months 'will be. more serious and portentous .than .any ace : :haze yet experienced." This last :seigence may be construed to- mean %that in six Months' time, unlesS :LINCOLN recalls the proclamations he has Juid annuls the laws Congress has 'made; Mr. WOOD, in his favorite character Of Cromwell, with 'Mr. MAHONY as his faithful and godly Harrison, and his friends .of the • Fi*o Points as retainers, will proceed to 'Washington and take possession of the 4216iornment as Lord Protector. When•these things take place, Mr. VAN Bunrat and ,his disciples will flint with the punishment-due to malignants and backsliders from the faith.' This New:York affair as it stands pro mises to he ii - :dtlightful quarrel. We must say that our sympathies are decidedly with Mr. VAil Bunt*. It seems to us that hells wiser than his generation, and that his poli cy, if adopted, would dO much toward har monizing the friends of the Government. Perhaps Mr. VAN BUREN has a selfish mo tive. He sees to what a pass tho despera tion of his friends is driving him. He knows that he bears an eminent and illus trious name. He has read how other emi nent New York names became infamous for their toryism in a former contest between Liberty and Slavery, and he is naturally anxious to so reform and strengthen his re cord that none of those who follow him Shall blush-at the name of VAN BIIItEN. LETTER FROM "OCCASIONAL." WASniNGTON, Feb. 15, 1863 As the Thirty-seventh Congress of the 'United States draws to its close,' I perceive, 'through all the confusion and haste of the passing hours, a better spirit, and a more hopeful feeling among our common friends. The solid front of the majority in both Houses, moving steadily to the support of the great measures demanded by tha Go vernment., has at last convinced the Opposition that the work of crushing out the rebellion cannot be stopped. Should this disciplined determination be maintained, every important or es sential act of legislation will be passed before the 4th of March, and the necessity for a called session obviated. The Admi nistration will thus be armed for the high duty before it in the recess. That the mea sures adopted by Congress and sanctioned by the President will be subjected to severe and searching and unjust criticism, must be expected. If these measures succeed, the day of unjust antagonism to the Adniinistra- Aim will pass Away forever. It is not, in deed, to be expected that every hope of the friends of the policy of the constituted au thorities will be realized. In' this stupen dous struggle, and in the midst of so many novel complications, it:would be surprising if .mistakes• and accidents did not occur. But I have an abiding faith that the theory upon which the war is conducted will gene rally be vindicated in the near future. I be lieve that the emancipation idea will so far triumph as to convince the rebel slavehold ers of their fatal blunder in refusing to ac cept the generous offer of the Government. In this connection, have you observed the singular speech of John Van Buren, last Tuesday evening, in the city . of New York, in which, forgetting the bitter denunciations of himself and his confederates of the pro clamation, he speaks of that measure as fol lows ? "Now, this proclamation, therefore, in myjudg ment, does nothing except what any general commanding the army might do. That is to say, as our armies ad vance staves arc set free. There is no enape from that conclusion. Slavery exists to' some extent by su perior force, and when our armies advance against elaveholders in rebellion, unless they choose to take the oath and keep their slaves in bondage, they follow the fortunes of all the reel of Their property, and are de stroyed or eel forever free." The confiscation act, purely a war mea sure, and terminating with the war, where ever executed, has proved to be most effi cient in punishing treason, in proof of which I need only cite the experience of Andrew Johnson in Tennessee, Benjamin F. Butler in New Orleans, and the commanding gene rals in the Department of Missouri. The reve nue bill, operating lightly upon thelaboring . classes, and pouring money into the public treasury at the rate of two, hundred and fifty millions per annum, although most vehe mently assailed, was made a law by the votes of all 'parties in Congress, with a few incon siderable exceptions in the House,•and cannot be called a party act. That the general bank ing law will triumph I have no more doubt than I have that the people have been plun dered by the depreciated and too-often coun terfeited issues of the State banks. There are many other subjects to which attention might be 'called, in regard to which we must await the slow and sure operation of time. Doubts and criticisms are soon dissolved be fore the magician's success. Take, for in stance, the problem of negro courage. Does it not begin to look as if the colored man would fight ? Every account we hear con- •erns the prediction that the negroes are not only brave, but that they arc not savage, and while imitating the valor of the whites, they equal them in humanity to the wounded and in respect for the dead. Even as lam indi .ting this letter I find, on opening a newspa per, called The . .Free South, published at Beaufort,_ South Carolina, by. James M; Latta & co., a Pennsylvania name,) of the Wt. of February, the following additional ,evidence of the obstinate and self-sacrificing bravery of the negroes under the command . of _Colonel Iligginson," of that department. This article is so interesting that I copy it entire : "But in the face of doubt, of obloquy, and of pre judice, deep-seated and rancorous, - Col. Ifiggloson has overcome all opposition and realized a splendid success. The first time his men are brought under fire, in the face of a night attack of cavalry, they stand the shock like veterans, and repulse the enemy with heavy loss. Ascending a narrow river, through a hostile country swarming with guerillas and bush whackers, these negro troops display the coolness and consummate skill in marksmanship of the Western pioneer. The fortitude and care of these men when wounded is not less extraordinary. After the nocturnal fight with cavalry, one man who had two wounds In the shoulder, brought back' to the landing, two miles, not merely his own gun, but that of a wounded comrade. Anotherwith three bullet wounds, stood guard with Col. ' fligginson at the landing during. the remainder of the night, not re porting to the surgeon till next morning. Another, with three buck-shot in his neck, never reported to the surgeon at all, for fear of being prohibited from action on the next day. Another poor fellow, with his life ebbing fast, as it seemed, from a shot through the lungs, said nothing except to ask three times if the colonel was safe. "In a sanitary point the enlisting of negro troops is not less worthy of consideration. So far as Sta tistical inquiries have extended, we believe there is no country, either temperate or tropical, in 'which the mortality among the indigenous civil inhabitants between the ages of 20 and 40 seems materially to exceed 15 per 1,000 annually, and probably there is no country where troops composed of the indigenous inhabitants are subject to a higher rate. Amongthe Cape corps, composed of the aboriginal inhabitants of Southern Afrlea it doe, not exceed 10 per 1,000 ; while among the Madras native troops it does not exceed 13 ; nor among those of Bengal it is not more than 11 per 1,000 annually. African troops as well as whites suffer from the climate of the West Indies, because they are for the most . part from the interior of Africa, where the climate is very different. And this mortality seems to affect negro troops in almost every quarter of the globe where they have been de ported from their nativity and employed.' In the Mauritius they die at nearly the same rate as in the West fatties ; in Ceylon, where a considerable nuns ber where employed in the colonial corps of that island, the mortality was so great that they nearly became extinct in a few years ,• in Gibraltar, where &West India regiment was stationed for two or three years, 62 per 1,000 of the strength died annually ; and •at Sierra Leone, on the sea-coast of their own conti nent, the mortality has averaged not less than 28 per. 1,000, being double the ordinary ratio among other troops serving in their native country. The mortality among white troops has been much higher whenever they have been sent out of their native climate. It is, therefore, demonstrated beyond a doubt that the negroes of the South are fully able to conquer the white rebels of this locality, and that the mortality of black troops serving on their native soil will not equal one-half that of- white troops brought from the Northern State.." Do not be surprised, therefore; if, in a short time, the employment of negro troops is as popular as it is now unpopular with the un refietting.. Even the New York Wortil, not many days ago, threw an anchor to the windward in objecting to the thoughtless animadversion on the use of colored menin the service. • These 'tokens of the hour may be; and I think are, premonitory symptoms of a great revolution in' the public mind in favor of the war policy of Mr. Lincoln's Administration*. The shrewd Democratic leaders are beginning to scent a' new . state .of things in the passing . breeze ; and although the violent and, bigoted oftheclass may refuse to yield, sagacious and cunning fellows like John Van Buren, find ing that the current is Butting in an opposite direction, will greteefnlli submit to its course, and finally swim to the front. As I have said. a . thousand times, the, Democratic masses arc loyal. They have trusted con litlingly to their chosen oracles,: and when they end, as soon they must, that these Oracles' are at heart for disunion, and that :the' earth will accept no terms of peace that .do :not degrade the North ; when' they :realize that the soldiers are protestin g :Against . the Democratic leaders because of their: sympathy with the rebellion ; when it :is: impossible for them to deny that Mr. .Lincoln's. Administration is unalterably ::committed to the:preservation of the nation al* of the Republic . ; when emancipation itself proves to, be •blessing, instead of a - .curse, as the future 'of the great State of ;Misiouri, in *high* the - experiment is to be fully tried, 'will: undoubtedly - show ; when they see that the negyots are ready to fight to istrve.the life of the Dnion and the lives of the. White men of the free States, they may not tum —Republicans, and join .the Ad : ministeiltian . party, but they • .will force .their leaders either to surrender their trust's, surrender their false and .treasonable - opinions. It is among the* reasonable. probabilities, that the DeMo deck will soon be .a war party, and will . outbid the most ultra Republicans in de mending vigorous: measures against the re bellion. ,lir such ax!ivent, Mr. Lincoln will find nOple jnstiflcation and vindica tion 'of hiii . :ipoli4,:and"Will be strengthened to complete tire•Arnik of the restoration Of. the Union. *OCCASIONAL. WA_S=MG-TON: Special Despatches to ,4 The Preas.PP. WASHINGTON, February 15,1863. An 'lmportant Arrest of a Rebel Spy. Colonel BAKER, Provost Marshall of the 'War Department, arrested this morning T. T. TONSTALL on the charge of being a rebel spy. TIINSTALL WAS AppOinted by President PIERCE consul at Gediz, and held that office until after the inauguration of Mr. LINCOLN, when he was removed. After being re moved, he went to Tangiers (Morocco) in com pany with Lieut. Tony Salm, whose real name was Ib:IVRY MYERR r and who was appointed a pay maaier in the navy, from Georgia, in 1854. They. were arrested by James De Lotto, consul at Tan giers, and their release was attempted by a mob, which proved unimecesatul. They were finally put in irons, placed on board the Ino, and brought to this country. Ai ter an examination in this city, he was paroled to go to Alabama, and not ,to return North until the close of the war. Lately, In violation of his parole, he made his way North, and from thence to Nassau, where he made heavy purchases for- the rebels, consisting of boots, shoes, fee. As soon as he saw them ready for shipment he made his way North again, and a week or so ago he arrived in Washington. His arrival was not known for several days, as lie kept per fectly concealed dining the daytime, walking out only at night, and then under a deep disguise. Last 'evening, while in conversation with some friends, he made some rather imprudent remarks, at least for himself, which were heard by adetective, who kept a close watch upon him, and folrowed him to the residence of Dr. RILEY, on Fourteenth street, above F. The detective reported to Colonel BAKER, who ordered him to keep a close watch on the house, and he (Col. B.) would this morning arrest Tux- STALL. True to his promise, Col. 8., with several assistants, surrounded the house, to prevent his escape. Col. B: walked, up stairs, and, after search ing several rooms, could not find the gentleman he was in guest of. During this time he-heard two ladies speaking about him, one of which was very lorry she could not shoot the Colonel. This made him prolong fits search still farther, and be was finally gratified in finding the individual he wail in search of in bed, reading with great avidity a copy of the Baltimore Sun, and having at his side copies of the Chicago Times and New York World,. Mr. TITNSTALL Was very indignant at his arrest, but lie soon saw that it was of no use. HeWria sent this afternoon to the Old Capitol on the charge of being a rebel spy. He has openly violated his parole, and, therefore, is liable to be hung. If all the facts narrated above are proved against him, and there is no reason to belive they wont, his fate will serve as a warning to others. TIINSTALL is an Alabamian, a cousin of ex-United States Senator CLEMENT C. CLAY, from the same State, and is highly educated. The Banking and Loan Bills. The banking bill, which has passed the Senate, and the loan bill as amended and passed by that body, do not precisely represent the views of the Secretary; but he has always been ready to yield his judgment to that of theTinance Committees of the two Houses on questions not regarded by him as vital, and when unable to yield on such points, he submits if overruled. The two bills, as they have gone to the House, are regarded by him as embody ing a scheme of finance which can be practically and successfully applied; but each measure is necessary to the success. of the other, and both, therefore, really constitute one. Should the banking bill fail, he does not think the loan bill can be worked out to successful results, but that the only practical course will then be to increase indefinitely the issue of legal tenders, or to make loans by receiving the issues of suspended banks, increased also indefinite ly. Either of these causes ho is of the opinion will result disastrously to the public and private in terests. The 'National Finances. Much speculation is based on the supposed views of the Secretary of the Treasury, and these are differently represented, according to various degrees of information or biaa, but the following statement, the result of inquiry, is designed to remove all doubt whatsoever upon the subject. The Secretary regards the passage of the uniform currency and bank bill as absolutely essential to the successful working of the finances. It is not true.that he does not expect immediate aid from the banking bill, though it is true, as stated in hie report, that he does not expect immediate and direct aid from it. He does, how ever, expect a great and immediate, though an indi rect, aid from the rise in the value of United States bonds, consequent on their being made the perma nent basis for a national currency, which rise will enable him to negotiate bonds without additional inflation of the currency ; and that through these negotiations the means may be provided for all public demands promptly, while, at the same time, a check will be placed on the fictitious advance in the prices of necessaries and of gold. He, therefore, regards the banking bill as vitally necessary to the support of the Government, and as a consequence to the most successful prosecution of the war, while he believes that its merits ,as a measure for the in troduction of a safe, 'stable currency, uniform in plan and value throughout the country, would re quire its adoption for the protection of labor, the security of commerce, and the perpetuation of the Union. . - Africans in the French Seevice. United States Consul General Tn.aria.,at Alex andria, Egypt, in writing to our Government, says an event of apparent grave importance had just come to light, and produced much excitement in that community. On the morning of the 7th of January 450 black soldiers, from Dal form and Nubia, were, by order of the Viceroy of Egypt, taken by railroad from the fortifications of the Barrage, about 120 miles south of Aleis.andrbt, and at night embarked on board the French transport steamer La Zinc, for a destination generally understood to be Mexico, with the object of aiding the French Emperor in hie military operations against that country. These negroes were dressed in Zouave uniforms, and fully armed. It is well understcod that the French Em peror has been anxious to supply the losses which his Mexican army has suffered from climate and dis ease, by the employment of blacks, and the Viceroy declared a month ago, that he was about to send a thousand of his men to some place where their quality might be tested. His Highness, it is known, has always been proud of his army, both black and white, the effectiveness of which, excepting in re pulsing the raids, of the Bedouins, has not been fairly displayed since the war Of the Crimea, when his men certainly distinguished themselves, as com pared with the other Ottoman troops. Our consul says he was awaiting explanations from the Viceroy. The European Consuls have generally telegraphed to their Government for jp eruct lone. Miniiter Dayton also briefly communicates similar information to our Government upon the subject, including the article from the Monitevx, that ttcb Degrees furnished by the Viceroy, 1,000 in all, are to garrison. Vera Cruz as a matter of humanity to the white soldiers, the black . race not being subject to the yellow fever. What the Rebels are Dding. From infdrmation received from the Army of the Potomac it appears that the rebels are throwing up breastworks and rifle pits north of Fredericksburg. It must not be inferred from the abeende of in teresting news from, the Itappahannook that the army is in a condition of idleness. The abolishment of grand divisions has thrown many weighty matters upon the commanding gene ral and his stair, and the various departments are sedulously engaged, without ießard to hours, in matters pertaining to the reform, discipline, and consolidation of the army. Postal Orders. The Postmaster General has issued orders to the postmaster at New York to send the malls direct from his office to St. Paul, Minneapolis, and St. Anthony, Minn., which will save twenty-four hours in their transmission. Another order has been issued to the postmasters of the principal cities of the North directing them to send the mails for the lower county of Parkers burg over the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad, which will expedite them some forty-eight hours over the former time. The Kansas Indians. The Senate has ratified the treaty by which the Kew Indians are to be removed from Kansas and settled elsewhere as soon as the necessary arrange ments can be made by the Indian Bureau. West Senator CARLILE yesterday introduced a bill providing that the President's proclamation, after the popular ratification of the act making West Virginia a State, shall not be issued until certain counties, now under rebel control, have been allowed a free and fair opportunity for voting upon such rati fication—viz:Boone, Logan, Wyoming, Mercer,fitic- Dowell, Pocahontas, Raleigh, Greenbrier, Monroe, Pendleton, Fayette, Nicholas;and Clay counties. Emancipation and Colonization. Dille have been prepared, and only await an op• portunity to be reported from the select committee on emancipation, appropriating $10,000,000 for the abolialunent of slavery, in Maryland; $1,600,000 to West Virginia, and $450.000 to Delaware, for similar purposei in those States. They have also agreed upon a' bill to establish a board of emigration and colonisation in connection with the War Depart ment, • Les Enfants Perdus. Verbal reports from Hilton Head report the disaf fection among the New York regiment (Lee Enfants Perdue) as being even greater than represented in letters already published there. It is not improba ble that by this time the whole regiment has been placed under arrest for insubordination. Dislike of Gen. Hurrnemand of serving with his nero regi ments Is said to be at the bottom of it. Arrivals in the United States. . The number of arrivals in the United States on shipboard, as given in the official annual statement, is as follows . -Maine, 744; New Hampshire, 9; Massachusetts, 0,122; Rhode Island, 34; New York, 99,142; Penn sylvania, 1,939; Maryland; 2,3E9 ; Florida, 128; California, 39,0'70. Total, 114,476. The number of females is a fraction leas than Loss of the Schooner Carmine—The Pirate Schooner Retribution. Nxw YORK, Feb. 16.—The schooner Carmine, of Philadelphia, was totally lost in St. Johns harbor, Porto Rico, on the 20th ult. The schooner E. A.De Dart, from Jeemol on the 29th, reports that on the aoth, oft' 'Cape Tabunt, she nras chased by the pirate schooner Retribution, who fired several shot and shell at her, but the De Dart outsailed her easily. Soon after, she saw the Retribution board an F.aetern•built schooner, which she probably captured. Previous to being • over hauled by the pirate, she saw a large steamer which came from the same direction as the pirate. Fecession Demonstration at Baltimore. BALTIMORE, Feb, ld.—SOnie of the Union people hfiving placed a national flag over the Southern Methodist Church, in Biddle street, the, minister, 'Bev. John Dashiel, who is a Secessionist, came to 'the church this morning and tore it down, for which !act he was arrested, and is now in custody. The Secessionists - worshipping at the New Assembly Booms:were Unwilling to meet there to-day, becauive .General Schenck ordered a national flag to be dia. rmyed'on the building. THE PRESS. - PHILADELPHIC MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16. 1863. General Hooker Visits General Sigel—H'eml.- quarter,. of General Stoneman Burnell— An Order Coneeining Furloughs, Healy. nations, Passes, 4kl. Pfsw YORK, Feb. In.—A despatch from Staffer& Court House on the 14th says General Hooker visited General Sigel to-day. He was accompanied' On his return by Generals Sigel and Stahl. The Phillips House, opposite Fredericksburg, the. headquarters of General Stoneman, was burned' yesterday. It was the finest dwelling in this section of the State. The fire was of accidental origin, having caught from .a defective flue. The mansion was located on a beautiful elevation, overlookingyrede ricksburg and the surrounding country, and has been occupied by several Union generals as theirhead quarters, including Gen.. Sumner. Gen. Stone man bad just occupied it temporarily, pending the preparations to convert it into a hospital. The costly furniture was saved, and has been placed in the Lacey Rouse, on the banks of the Rappahan nock, where such as is appropriate will be supplied for hospital necessities. THeowner is a banker, in Fredericksburg. The destruction of this property, although purely accidentaf,, is.greatly regretted by all. In consequence of recent publications injurious to the Union cause, measures have been taken to ar-. rest and punish correspondents. who have been guilty of snaking such developments; and plans are to be adopted which will prevent its future occur rence. Many violations of the law and regUlations regarding rustlers' goods, acc., having been brought to the notice of the general commanding, a new course has been adopted by the . provost marshal general to detect and punish all who•are engaged In illicit trade within the lines of this army. The traffic in contraband articles is not confined to regu larly appointed sutlers, only a portion of whpm are believed to have been guilty of these violations, but by many others haiing permits to trade•in the lines of the army. Large seizures of contraband goods have recently been made, and distributed for hos pital uses. The offenders hereafterwill: be-summa rily punished. FUREOUGUS, RESIGNATIONS, ,BASSES,.&c. The following orders have been issued:: ILEADQUARTERS ARMY OP THE POTOMAC, CAMP REAR rALMOUTIf, VA.,' Feb: 7, 1863. G rafxnAL ORDERS, No. Co rpsconunand era may grant leaves of absence to officers and furloughs to enlisted men, observing strictly the...provisions of General Orders No. 8, from these headquarters, Jan. 30, 1863, except that leaves to daft' officers, other than aids, will be granted only upon the re commendation of the chiefs of their respective de partments, in divisions and corps, approved by the chiefs of their departments at these headquarters, and not more than one staff officer of each depart ment will be permitted to be absent from: a division at the same tame. 11. The following instructions from the General- In• Chief are publiehed for the information of all concerned• "All leaves to officers to visit Washington, with out the consent of the War Department, are deemed null and void; and hereafter, all general officers who visit Washington on leaves not properly granted, will be dismissed. The mere passage through the' city, when this is the surest or only line of travel, is not considered visiting." 111. No officer or soldier will leave this army under orders, unless such orders are given through the proper military channel. IV. corps commanders, under paragraph 1,641, army regulations, may accept resignations of regi mental officers of the volunteer service when ao companied by surgeons' certificates of disability, ap proved by medical directors of divisions and corps ; and in eases where it plainly appears that the officer is unfit for his station, and can beiepiseed by one better qualified to discharge his duties. Resigna tions of medical officers will only be accepted upon the approval of the medical director of this. army. V. Corps commanders will be held responsible for the proper position and strength of their picket lines, and their proper connection, on the right and left. VI.: A full register of all officers and men, absent on leave, furlough, or on account of sickness, will be kept at the headquarters of each regiment, with the dates of departure and of return. These regis ters will be carefully examined by officers inspecting the regiments, and abstracts will be seat to corps headquarters every Saturday. Corps commanders will carefully examine the same, and report to these headquarters all cases of unauthorized absence. A. register of deserters will also be kept at regimental headquarters, and an abstract of the same transmit ted weekly to corps commanders. VII. General officers of the day, and staff officers at corps headquarters will, as occasion requires, investigate the complaints of citizens living in the vicinity of the cavalry and infantry pickets. Proper measures must be taken to prevent depredations .and pillage, and such offences will be promptly punished. VII. The following regulations with respect to passes will be strictly observed by all concerned I. No passes to any persons, to go within the lines of this army, will be respected, unless signed by the Major General Commanding, the Chief, of his Stair, the Assistant Adjutant fieneral, at these head quarters, or the Provost Marshal General. 2. Commanders of army corps,. by their assistant adjutant generals, may give passes between Wash ington and places within the lines of this army to such officers and soldiers of their respective com mands as are duly authorised to be absentfrom their respective stations, and to no other persona. 8. A register will be kept by the provost marshal at the headquarters of each corps, embracing the names of (a.) All'eutlers, regularly appointed, and their em ployees; also the number of wagons, horses, and mules employed by each. (b) All purveyors, caterers, or messengers for officers' messes, &c., naming the headquarters to which they respectively belong. (c) All newsboys, news agents, &c., and their cation. A copy of this register shall be furnished to the Pro vost Marshal General, who will give.to the persons therein named the proper passes for themselves,And permits for transporting or landing their stores, on presentation of lista approved' by their respective division or corps commanders. Passes for the persons mentioned in class b will be limited to two for each division, and soldiers will not be employed for the purposes indicated in that class. Passes for newsboys will be limited to one for each division. 4: All persons not above enumerated' requiring passes to travel, or permits to do business within the lines of this army, will apply, at the office of-ttie provost marshal general for the necessary authority.' and any person doing business within the lines of this army without such permit is liable to arrest and the confiscation of his property. - IX. All officers, enlisted men, and other peons not entitled to use or draw forage,- are forbidded to have horses or mules in their possession, and such unauthorized persons as now have them will imme diately turn them over to the Quartermasters' De partment. Quartermasters -will receipt for them, and take them up on their returns. • X. No soldier, servant, teamster, or other person will be allowed to use a Government animal, ex cept on duty under the order of some officer compe tent to allow it. XI. Cruel or careless treatment of animals must be punished. XII. The' flag, designating the headquarters' of army corps, will be as follows : A blue swallow-tail flag, with white Maltese cross in the centre of the field; the ntimerical designation of the corps, in red finites in the centre of the cross, The chief quartermaster will furnish the flags on pro*..er requisitions, to commanders of army corps.Xlll. Corps commander! will be held reSponiirble for the faithful an prompt execution of all orders, within their respective commands. Gen. Banks , Forces Ready to Move—'The Recent Capture of Smugglers—Expected Return of Gen. Butler—The Rebel Clergy irnor-Vicksburg Coital. NEw Yonx, Feb. 14.—The steamer Empire Oity, from New Orleans on the 4th, arrived at 10 o'clock this evening. - The forces under General Banks, after a month's drilling, were in condition to take the field. It was thought that a forward movement would be made at once, to clear out the whole La Fourche country. On the 3d inst. a fishing smack, containing three Jews and a large quantity of medicines for the rebels, was seized on the lake, bound to Poncha tonia. Letters were also found from forty or fifty leading citizens of New Orleans to members of the oopfederate Government. The Jews were tried be fore Judge Peabody, on the 4th that., but the sen tence was withheld until the potties who wrote the letters had been arrested, as ordered by General Banks. • The weather was very cold. It was generally be lieved in New Orleans that General Butler would return to that city, if he wee not made Secretary 'of War. Bev. lira. Seacock, Fulton, and Goodrich, had reached New Orleans, but u they refused to take the oath of allegiance, General Banks would not al low them to preach. The water flows through Williams' cut in front of Vicksburg, and a small steamer had passed through the canal. If it deepens and widens, our fleet can pass down, leaving Vicksburg four miles distant. This intelligence frightened the rebels consider ably. There is nothing new from Texas. The Pirate Alabarna at Kingston, Jamaica —She Lands the Crew of the Kattix-as—An Ovation to Captain Semmes. Drxw ',Conn:, Feb. 16.—The steamer Talisman fur , nishes papers from Kingston, Jamaica, which an nounce the arrival at that port of the pirate Ala hams on the 20th of January, with the alticers and crew, 165 in all. of the Hatteras. The Alabima was severely riddled in the encounter. Two United States men•of--war were reported off Jamaica. Capt. Semmes had a reception at the Commercial Exchange at Kingston, which was given to him by the merchants of that city. He was lustily cheered. The American consul had chartered the ship Bo rodino to bring the 'crew of the Hatteras to the United States. A portion of the crew of the Alabama had been before the magistrate for creating a row in a drink ing saloon. SAN...some°, Feb. 13.—Arrived, bark Moon beam, from. Philadelphia. There is a 'speculative demand for domestic li quors. Goods valued at about $200,000, belonging to Belle irnportersovad seized by custom omeers to-day, for violation of the revenue laws. It Is belleveol that a system of under-valuation which has been discovered, has extended over several years, by which the Government loses nearly half the legiti-• mate revenue on many important articles. A telegram from Los Angeles says the news from Colorado in highly encouraging. Letters dated the 10th of February say new leads are daily discovered, and the developments of those now worked show them to • be unsurpassed in rich ness. . SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 'l4.—Sailed, ship Amber, for Bokahama t Japan. It is raining, and there is' no business doing. The winter has been extremely, favorable to the farmers, and much larger crops have heed planted than last year. Advice& from British Columbia state that $3,500 has been raised in Victoria to send to England for the relief of the Lancashire operatives. It is believed that the roads to Carriboo mines will becommpassable earlier than last year. The Victoria papers estimate a gain improperty values in the North colonies at live millions during the year. The total laboring population is less than • ILutrilannno, Feb..l4.—The Legislature is, not in session, both houses having adjourned over till Monday. evening. . • • Fire at Milwaukee. MILWAUKEE, Wis., Feb. 14.—The Newhall House was. damaged to the extent of $5:1,000 lon by , fire this morning. . PORTLAND, Feb. 14, 10 oPolook P. DL—There are no signs of the North- Amerialb, now due et this port from Liverpool. ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, By command of Major General Hooker: S. WILLIAMS, Assistant Adjutant GeneraL DEPARTAIENT OF THE GIJLF, THE PIRATE ALABAMA. California and British Columbia. Pennsylvania Legislature. Non-Arrival of the, North American. Cold Weathii.lin;Newfoundland. ' ST. JOHNS, N. F., Feb. 141. The weather in ,this vicinity is very severe, and there is Taus& distress among the Inhabitants. RUVIlth CONGRESS—Third Session. W.14/31111YOTON, February 14, UM. SENATE. Petitions. Several petitions were presented for camp . hos pitals and for an ambulance corps. Montana Mr. WADE (Rep.), of Ohio, from the Committee cm Territories, reported back the bill to provide a temporary Government for the Territory- of Montana. Ether in the Army. Mr. WILSON (Rep.), of Massachusetts, from the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was re ferred the petition of Do. W. T. G. Morton, ask ing compensation for the use of ether in the army, made a report of the facts without any recommenda tion. Pont. Routes Mr. COLLAMER (Rep.), of Vermont, from the Committee on the Poet Office, reported a bill to es tabliala certain post routes. Hospital Department. Rr..l-10WARD (Item.), of Michigan, introduced bill to increase the efficiency of the hospital depart ment-of the army. Referred to the Committee on. Military Affairs. West. Virginia. Mr- GAILLILE (U.), of Virginia, introduced- a• bill supplemintary to the cot for the admission. of. West Virginia into the Union. Referred' to . the Judiciary Committee. Canal Enlarr,ement. Mr. HOWNSD, from the ebrnmittee on. Military Adkins, reported back the bill to enlarge the canals and Fox and Wisconsin rivsns. Government Fronds. Mr. HOWARD called up the bill to prevent and punish' frauds against the Government. Mr. COWAN (Rep.); of Pennsylvania, saitilhat' the section provided that every person • ontraoting to furnish supplies ofany kind.to the armyor navy, and every person who procured.or aided to procure' any claim for any such supplies, should: be consi dered in the military or naval service and subject to • military laws and regulations. Such a provision was monstrous. It would sweep under martial law. a large class of citizens, and all:of the legal profes sion who mightaid in procuring any claim, no mat ter whether they knew anythilrof the character of• the claim. Zie would have a' severe punishment meted out to those who defraud the Government, buthe would have it done by the courts: ire moved to strike out the second section. Mr. POMEROY (Rep.); of Kansas, said he feared the bill would bring into the service of the United , Stater as large aslass of persons as were no w. in the army, and would not the Government also be bound in the way of pensions, etc:, to these persons I Mr. WILSON'', of Massachusetts, said that a very' few hundred names would comprise all the con tractors included in the bill. Mr. HOWARD contended that no consent of a person was required to place him under the rules and regulations of the military service, and itwas just as proper to place contractors who cheat the. Government under martial law, as to place private soldiers under such law. He saw nothing to com plain of on behalf of such persons. Dlr. MORRILL (Rep.), of Maine, thought the bill justly open to the'critiolsm of the Senator from Pennsylvania. He could not see any necessity for bringing this class of persons underthe rules andar ticfts of war, oolong as the courts-were in existence, These contractors could always-be reached in court. Mr. WILSON, of Massachusetts, said. the halls. of Congress had rung with denunciations of fraud'', lent contractors. The Government is doing what it can, but it finds it has no law to reach these oases. . He hoped theqemite would pass some bill in order to • reach them. He offered a substitute for the second section, providing that all contracts for munitions of ' war, or supplies of every kind hereafter made, shall' contain a provision that any persoli making such contract shall be considered in.the military service, and subject to the rules of war, confining its opers, tions entirely to contractors. After a oblsousesion between Messrs. Davis, - . Howard, and Cowan, the amendment of Mr. Wilson• was withdrawn, and the second section was stricken. out.. The bill was then pasaee. Pacific Railroad. Mr. HARLAN (Rep.), of lowa, called up the bill to establish the gauge of the Pacitie•Railroad and its branches. It makes the gauge four feet eight and a. half .inches. lie stated, as a reason for fixing this. gauge, that it was necessary to•make•the gauge con lorm, as near as poeslble,.to the majority of roads in, the country, so that the rolling stock, &c., might be transferred. There are 20,1567 miles of road of this. gauge, and only 1,199 of a diffbrent gauge. Mr. FESSENDEN (Rep.), of Maine, said it was. conceded that such a gauge was too narrow. The best roads in England bad altered their gauge, and some of them were seven feet. The. reason why so. many roads were built on this proposed gunge, is be cause they began so ,and, having begun wrong, think. they must keep on; but a wider gauge is aaler, and susceptible of greater speed in travelling. Mr. HARRIS (Rep.), of New York, could not agree with the Senator from Maine as to benefits of a wide gauge. The Erie Railroad in New York State had a gauge of six feet, and men of capital were seriously considering the policy of altering the• gauge of that road to a narrow gauge on the score of economy. Mr. MoDOUGALL (Dem.), of California, thought the Senate had better not go into a discussion on• railroad gauges. The gauge was well fticed•nowat five feet. The bill wail then postponed till Tuesday. Letters of Marque and Reprisal. _ _ Mr. GRIMES (Rep.), of lowa, moved to take up the bill authorizing letters ormarnue and reprisal. Mr. TRinnsuLL (Rep.); of Illinois, oAlectell to. taking up the bill. Re saw no reason for such.abill, and no reason for issuing letters of marque against the rebels. • Mr. SUMNER (Rep.), otMassachusetts, also op. posed taking up the I. He was in favor of the. Government taking the•merchant naarine, s if necea. sary, and placing it under the national flag, but he was opposed to privateering. Mr. GRIMES thought this was a most import ant measure. He would put a general latw of this kind on record. The motion was agreed to—yeas 81, nap 6. Mr. GRIMES offered a substitute authorizing the President in all domestic and foreign wars, to issue letters of marque as he deems fit, and make all needful rules and regulations. On motion. of_.*t,,TrILSON the bill was post poned: - The Senate then went into executive session, and subsequently adjourned till Monday. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Mr. Plggot. Mr. DAWES (Rep.), Of Massachusetts, from the Committee on - Elections, to whom were referred the credentials of Jennings Piggot, c/ aiming a seat from the Second Congressional district of North Carolina, and the protest of Charles Henry Foster against his claims made a report adverse to Mr. Eiggot. - ' Western Navy Yard. _ _ _ Mr. MOORREADERep.), of [Pennsylvania, from the Csimmittee on Naval Affairs, reported a bill to establish a navy yard on the Western waters at St. Louis. The bill was referred to the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union. Mr. McLoud. Mr. DAWES called up the report of the Com mittee on Elections against the claims of J. 13. McLoud, as member from the Second Congressional district of Virginia; also, adverse to the claims of W: W. 'Winn, the , contestant. Mr. DAWES explained that the election was held under peculiar circumstances. He might call it a compound traction. It was held under the procla mation of two military Governors, Generals DIX and Viele, and the proclamation of a civil Governor. The military gentlemen ordered it to take fiance on the 22d of December. On the 20th of- that month Governor Pierpont sent his Adjutant General into the district of Norfolk, bearing writs of election, the date of which was altered so as to conform with the time designated ,by the military Governor: It ItlMeati frota - • the testimony of Governor Pier pont that he sent a sharp despatch to General Viele, reminding the latter that he had en croached on the prerogative of the, civil Gover nor in ordering the election, and claiming that he, as such Governor, would himself orzer elections when circumstances justified. The laws of Virginia require a vote by viva. race; but at this election persons voted by ballot. None of the es sential provisions were complied with. The entire proceedings had risen above the embarrassments of legal enactments. The Union voters had no op portunity to express their views. After further explanation, the report of the com mittee was adopted. Mr. Rogers. Mr. DAWES then called up the report of the same committee, adverse to John B. Rogers, claiming his election from a district composed of portions of the • districts represented by Messrs. Maynard and Cie- . meats. This new district was made by the rebel' Tennessee Legislature. The Union men were die... gusted, and during the election for member of the rebel Congress they voted for Mr. Rogers. The re port was adopted; Mr. Itylugton. The House then took up the case of Legrand Byington, contesting the seat of William Vandever, as Representative of the Second district of Iowa: Mr. Byington, who was heretofore granted the privilege of addressing the House, contended that Mr. Vandever was nut elected according to the time fixed by the law of that State, and that even if Mr. Vandever was elected, he forfeited his place by the acceptance of a military commission; that the con testant hail as much right to the seat as the Speaker of the House of Representatives had for Pennsylva nia. Colonel Vandever was never, he said, an offi cer under the State authorities, but derived his original commission from the War Department. Hence the incompatibility of Mr. Vandever hold. ing a seat as a member of Congress, the constitu tional provision being against holding two offices at the same time. Mr. WILSON (Rep.), of lowa, replied, insisting that the election took place at the proper time. It was in 1860 when Mr. Vandever was elected, and not in 1661. At what time Mr. Byington claims to have been chosen, he had seen no evidence. Mr. Ryington was nominated in a single lowa newspa per. Secret circulars were issued by the State Demo cratic Committee,- acquainting his friends that he was a candidate for Congress. • No public notice was given or write of election issued. In only nine of the flfty•nine counties his friends had placed the gentleman's name on the ticket. - Mr. WILSON then replied to the other points in the argument of the.contestant. • Air. WILSON caused to be read a protest signed by Legrand Byington, published in May, 1881, against Lincoln,Seward, Chase, and others, charg ing that they had undertaken an unconstitutional war to devastate the South by tire, sword, and famine, stimulated by Abolition fanaticism, ice.' Mr. Byington said his friends bad since endorsed his principles. Mr. WILSON merely replied, that the position was neither creditable to the gentleman or his party, and indicated nothing but hostility to the Govern ment, and opposition to every measure to crush out the rebellion. The House rejected Mr. Cox's resolution that Mr. Byington was duly elected, and then discharged the Committee on Elections from the further considera tion of Mr. Byington's memorial contesting Mr. Vandever's seat. Postal and Military Road. • Mr. KELLOGG (Rep.), of Illinois, asked leave to report from the select committee a bill to establish a postal and military railroad bet Ween Washington • and New York.' He said that they had been endea voring to report the bill for six or eight days. If gentlemen persisted in refusing to have it printed, lie gave them notice that when they have a chance - . they will urge a vote: n its passage. Mr. MOORHEAD (Rep.), of Pennsylvania, rising to a question of privilege, read the following from ,a. speech not deliveredibut which Mr. Riddle, of Ohio, obtained leave to print, in favor of the Illinois and' New York canal bill : • "It was to be expected that Pennsylvania would oppose it solid, although she, too, rests upon the' lakes. Nothing traverses her soil from' which she .1 does not exact tribute, and her citizens, for a whole winter, with arms in their hands, recently forced the , whole travelling North to patronize her peanut ven dors at Erie—the place where Perry's fleet was built. The nation has cheerfully shaped its policy to dere. lop her resources. Her coal and iron are exempt even from taxation, and yet her representatives stand here, the goblins of the mines—a stupid, inert , JINN of selfieh obstinacy—to wall up the way of this great treasure. We say to Pennsylvania, We bide , our time.' ?' . • • Mr—MOORHEAD denounced this as an atrocious : libel on a. great State, and an unworthy and un justifiable imputation on members of the House. It was falsely stated. He repelled the insult, and pro. nounced its author a libeler! The coal and iron of:: Pennsylvania were not exempted from the tax. • : Ydr. RIDDLE (Rep.) replied that he might possibly be mistaken about the provisions of the tax law, and yet it would be found that what he said was sub. , ' stantially correct. So far as the remainder of the statement was concerned. he held himself responsi.. ble to any one who might think proper, to call him to account. The citizens of Erie, for an entire win ter, were in arms tearing up the railroad, and the State of Pennsylvania stood by permitting it to be done. The policy of the nation is so formed as to' develop the wealth of Pennsylvania. Was it for this he was to be denounced as a libeler, and because Pennsylvanians here in a solid body oppose the in-. terests of the West? MT•MOORHI replied— It was for stating a falsehood. bIr.HIDDLE said he could have but one answer. There were rules of this House governing debate, but he thought the gentleman understood him too well to believe he would shelter himself under them.' • He had obtained permission to• print his speech ' after trying insvain to be heard in behalf of .his eon % stituents. Thetmles, suppress the right of petition, He bad merely spoken as a citizen has a right to speak, representing the intreests or the West. lie put himself behind no rules. Mr. MOOIRHEab desired tcr seply, but the Hottse agreed to the pending motion to eonelder the Indian appropriation bill. The bill was amended, but not definitely sated upon. The House then adjourned. ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND, The Defeat of the Rebel Attack on Fort Do nelson—Official Report—Brave Defence of the Garrison—Timely Azrival of the GT1311., boats. The following official report has been communi cated to the War Department: UNITED STATES GUNBOAT FAIR PLAY, OFF Dovxn, Tenn„ Feb. 14, 1853. Sik: I Gave the honor to report that on the 3d in stant, I felt Smithland, Kentucky, with a fleet of transports and the gunboats Lexington, Fair Play, St. Clair, Brtlliaat, Bobb, and Silver Lake, as a convoy up the Cumberland river. When about twenty-four miles below Dover, I met the steamer Wild Cat, with a message from Colonel Harding, commandant of the post at Dover, informing me that his pickets had been driven in, and he was at tacked in force. I immediately left the transports and made signal to the gunboats to follow on up as fast as possible. A short distance below the town I mei another steamer bringing intelligence that the place was en tirely surrounded. Pushing on up with all possible Speed, I arrived here about Et o'clock P. fd., and ibund Co) Hardingai foree out of ammunition, and entirely surrounded by the rebels in overwhelming numbers, but still holding them in check. The ene- My not expecting the gunboats, hail unwisely posted the main body of hitearmy in line of battle in the graveyard, at the west end of the , town, with hie left wing resting in a• ravine that led down to the river, giving us a chance to throw a raking fire along his line. Simultaneously the gunboats opened fire up this ravine into' the graveyard, and over into the valley beyond, where the enemy had horses hitched, and most probably kept his reserve. The rebels were so much taken by surprise, that they did not even lire a shot, bat Immediately commenced re treating. So wolf directed was our fire on them, that they could. not even carry off a caisson that they had captured from our forces,but we recompelled to aban don it; after two fruitless attempts to destroy it by fire. ' After h aid n g dispersed bliernaiabody of the enemy,. I stationed the Robb and Silver Lake below the town to throw shell up the ravine and prevent the rebels' from returning tb• carry off their wounded,' while the Lexington, Pair Play, St. Clair, and Bril liant:went above and shelled theroade leading east ward.. Supposing that the setreating forces would follow the river for a short distance, I sent the Lex ington and St. Clair to shell the woods, and harass and annoy them as much anpossible, while this boat flndlhe Brilliant lay opposite the upper ravine, and threw shells up the roads.. About 10 P. M. we ceased tiring, with the excep tion of , now and then a random shell up the roads. At 11 P. X. learning from Colonel Harding that the enemy had' entirely disappeared, we ceased firing and took a position to guard the roads approaching the town.. Although much of our firing was at random, we have the gratification of knowing that scarcely a projectile• went amirse, and , that out of the one hun dred and forty buried to-day, the gunboats can claim their share. Even wheb the Lexington and St. Clair went above, many of their &hells fell in the midst of the retreating rebels, killing anti wounding many. It is reported that the attacking force numbered some 4,500, with eight pleoesof artillery, under com mend of. Major General Wheetet, and Brigadier Ge. nerals Forrest and Wharton. It is certainly very gratifying to us to know that this entire force wee cut up, routed, and despoiled°, its prey by the timely arrival of the gunboats, and that Col. Harding and his gallant little band were spared to wear the honor, :they had so fairly won. At first- I regretted that I was not here with the gunboats- sooner; but, upon reflection, I do not think I. oould better have-arranged the time had it been in. my. power. Had we been here before Wheeler,. he would not have made the attack, but most probably would have marched to tort Henry. Had we arrived during the day he would have seen our strength, and would - have retreated with but little lose. Arriving as we did after clerk, and when he least expected us, and. was so sanguine of suc cess, we caught his forces arranged in the most fa vorable position to receive a raking fire from our guns. The officers and men:were very glad to have a shot at these river infesters, and only regret they did not remain within reach of our guns a little longer. As it is, they claim the honor of dispersing them• and saving Fort Doneleon. Very respectfully, your obedient servant. LEROY FITCH, Lieutenant Com'd'g. Fleet Capt. A. M. ratszcocrr, United States Naval Commandant, Naval Station, Cairo, 111. EUROPE. Rumor of the. Intended Recognition of the South—Emancipation Meeting in Exeter in Warsaw—The Trouble with Brazil—ConurrAerelnl intelligence. Nzw Tonic, Feb. 15.—The royal mail steamship New York, from Liverpool on the list ult. via Queenstown on the Ist inst., arrived at this port to day. The steamer New York arrived at Liverpool on the 29th and the Nova Scotian on the 30th inst. The Asia passed' on the 2d inst., a hundred miles • west of Cape Clear, the steamer City of Baltimore, for Liverpool. The political news is unitiiportahL It is reported that if Napoleon's proposal is re• jected, France will recognize the South. It is.llBBlllned by several writers that the proposal of mediation made by the Emperor is merely one preliminary to more important steps, and if refused, that the recognition of the Confederates will proba bly follow, whether England joins in the movement or not. It is reported that the proposal of Napoleon was not submitted to Slidell in advance, and he as well as the other Secessionists in Europa pronounce the plan entirely inadmissible. • There are rumors of new difficulties occurring be tween the British and United States Governments, owing to the seizures of English vessels too near the coast of Bahamas. The emancipation demonstration at Exeter Hall was one of the most enthusiastic and imposing scenes that have been witnessed in London for a long time: In numbers, it was one of the most important since the days of the Corn Law League. The hall was crammed, and two other meetings were orga nized out of the overflow. The resolutions reiterate the sentiments of the - Emancipation Society, and express great sympathy for the North. It is stated. that . Heenan has matched for a prize tight, with an unknown, for $lO,OOO. An amendment expressing sentiments hostile to the cause of emancipition was promptly voted down, and the resoluttlans were earned almost unanimously. The London Times was denounced hy.the speakers amidst groans and hisses similar to those given at similar meetings* held at Bradford and other towns. The operatives of Bradford have adopted a memo rial thanking America for the relief atforded them, and suggesting that assistance to them to emigrate to the United States is the more effectual Way of affording them relief. The Times indulges in a most gloomg picture of the present crisis in America, both military and financial. , Sir Robert Peel, in a recent speech, declared him self favorable to a separation of the North and South, and strongly condemned Dlr. Lincoln's eman cipation edict. - - - - FRANCE - - Admiral Bosse supersedes La Graviere in the French expedition to Mexico. The Senate voted the address to the Emperor, there being only onediseenting vote. The address was read in the House. It expresses deep concern on ac count of the American struggle, and regrets that the Great Powers did not Join France in her offers of mediation. The Bourae was heavy, Buttes being quoted at 69f, 60c. POLAND. The Polish' insurrection still smoulders, but no important outbreaks have taken place since the last accounts. • Warsaw continues tranquil. PRUSSIA The Prussian Chambers have voted an address hostile to the Government, by an overwhelming ma jority. THE. LATEST, VIA SOUTHAMPTON. W.kits.iw, Jan. 28.—The insurgents have received LONDON, Feb. I.—A telegram from Madrid says the Spanish Cabinet does not intend to recognize the liingdom of Italy at'prelent. considerable reinforcements from the better classes of society, including many from Warsaw. They captured a body'of troopenear Piotrkras, including two Russian officers, who were immediately shot. I..osuos, Feb. I.—The Marquis of Lansdowne is dead. • • PARIS, Feb. I.—The Bourse is inanimate; Rentee closed at 69f.85c. LONDON, Feb. I.—The Brazilian mail has reached Lisbon btingin: dates front Rio to the 9th of Jan. The.: fish nister had demanded indemnity from the Brazilian Government for the unlawful appropriation of the cargoes of certain vessels which were wrecked on the Rio Grande. Being refused, the British seized five merchant ships. The Bra zilian Government ultimately agreed to pay the in demnity. Coffee was quoted at 711009g7g. , 00. The shipments since last May have amounted to 50,000 bap. The stock in port was 90,000 ba,.o. The stock of cotton at Bahia amounted to 140000 bags. Cotton was quoted at insoog tBIIOOO, at Per nambuco. • Timm, Jan. 21.—Marquis Pepoli will leave on Monday, for St. Petersburg, to open negotiations for a treaty of commerce. A:rnans, Jan. Babli hail been elected Pre sident of the Natiopal Assembly. The British rili nistry has announced to the Greek Government that the Duke of Saxe Coburg has consented to be come a candidate for the Greek throne, and will no minate Ms nephew Prince of Coburg Kohary, his heir. The latter will embrace the Greek religion. This intelligence produced a favorable impression. CommerCial 'lntelligence. LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET; Jec. SO.—The sales of the week amount to 24,500 bales, Including 7,500 bales to opeculutors tuids.ooo bales tutu:porters. The market is Bit end prices have deeliutd 74(11d for all de-ieriptioua during the week: The sales of to-dayare eitimated at 3,000 bulev, including' 7.500 bales to speculators. and for export, the market closing heavy" t the following quo tations: , Fair. 3141;11111g, New Orleans Zhl 2.3(1 22d Uplands 4 44. 22d • • The stock of (Cotton in port amounts to i 06,000 including 66 4 000 'mite of American. . STATE 01, TRADE.—The advisee from Manche:4er continue unfavorable; the sales are small, and prices have a downward tendency LIVERPOOLMREADSTU . FIS llAßKET.—Breadstuff continue to decline. Messrs. -Richardson, Spence & Co., Wakefield, Rash, Sc Co. and other 4 report Flour heavy and 6d lower: - Fades at Meth , . Wheat inactive; red Western .9s 4dgbs.lOd, red Southern 04 likiel(ki.• white Western I lls, _white Southern ll@l2s. (tort easier; mixed Iling 6d white SO, 61@TM. LIVERPOOL PROVISIriti MARKET. —Provisionsare atilt destining. The circulars report Beef still declining, Pork quiet, but steady' Bacon inactive, and 6d@bt lower. Lard firm. Tallow steady. - Rutter stonily. LIVERPOOL PRODUCE ILARKET. —Ashes steady at 31s 6d for Pole, and Sin for Pearls. Rosin steads- at Spirits of Turpentine—no sales. Sugars are still dealt - lung. Coffee firm. Rice steady. Linseed Oil still ad vancing. Petroleum has an upward tendency, and re fined qualities have slightay advanced. LONDON MARKET.—Breadstwifs . gniet but steady; Iron steady; Sugar active but steady; Tea firm.; Coffee firm; Rice quiet; Tallow still advancing; Linseed Oil declining, sales at 43s 3i1ti11.134 6d; Petroleum steady; Sperm Oil.quiet; Spirits of Turpentine dull at Ills; Rosin inactive. HAVRE COTTON lEARKET.—January %.—Cotton is flat and nominal; RRIG•4 or the week a,OOO bales; Now ()deans tree ordinalre 3351'; do. bee 'ffit't stock in 'port to.oollhalps. . . LONDON MONEY MARKET.—Console are quoted at Mkt 12.3 e. The bullion in tho Bauk of England has do crewed ..f.244.0D) during the week. • AMERICAN STOCKS.—lllinois Central Railroad 40@ Ms VI cent. discount: Erlo'Ratlroad TEE LATEST VIA LIVERPOO Livsarocm, Jan.. 31—Evening.—The sales of cotton on the day of the departure of the Asia, amounted to 5.000 bales, including 2.,300 bales to specrlators and exporters. Prices have an upward tendency, and the market closed gorier• } all qualities have advanced slightly since yes terday repcirt-; and in some awe, are Md. higher Flour continues to decline. Wheat is dull, Redid lower. Corn fiat. I.oxPox, Jan. 31. —Consols 021.1•®94‘. , Rrie Railroad 40466. Illinois Centra3.lo4o. " the market for American securities Is Shiner, anti the Quotations have slightly advanced. Marine. Nsw YORK, Feb. lb.—Arrived ships Sarah Marsh, from Rio; Confidence, from Glasgow; Barks Jane Lackey, from Algoa Bay; Camellia, from Mar tinique. She was a little damaged from being ashore on Barnegat. Clementine, from Rio; Aurora, from Messina ; John T. Yfe, from Glasgow. Brigs Gui jana, from Ciudad Bolivar; Alice, from Rio; For tuna from Lisbon; A.rosetta, from Porto Cabello. Sch;Donna Anna, from Matanzas. Major John S. Solieu, long connected with the piers of Springfield, Illinois, and recently editor of the Union Herald, died in that city on last Monday. Major Curnba;dk is a paymaster in the Depart ment of the Ohio. No danger of• his running away— he is always Cumbaok. Public Entertainments. Tna NEW CIIIO3TRPT-sTßgyrr THEATRE.—ISLE. Ponn.ser as " Forrest has given the third week of hirengagement at the new Chest nut-street Theatre to the performance of "Othello." This magnificent tragedy affords an opportunity for the highest powers of the actor, mad the most inge nious investigations of the critic. The critics have never yet been able to unite upon a satisfactory opi nion 'of the angular and remarkable Moor, and are as far from agreeing now as they were when Pope and Blackstone were discussing the etymology • of the play's obsolele•phrtwes. Onvown ides of Othello is based upon his speech before the Senate, in which he pictures his wooing—the soliloqUies of lap, when he analyzes his general's character with all the force of hie wonderful intelleot—and'the caller and plea sant scenes in the opening of the play. He was a soldier. The Duke honors him as "Valiant Othello." logo tells 118 that the State could not "with safety cast him," Bud that " another of his fathom they Nave none to lead their business:" He was of noble lineage—" I fetch my life and beingfrom men of royo siege." Be possessed. the encore- Ointments of srgentleman. Brabanno• charged, him. with having "enchanted" his daughter. He had travelled far and wide, and had closely observed nature and society. The speech before the Senate, although he hilaself, with diplomatic• diffidence, called it " rude,"' was a model of eloquence, and so convincing that the Duke thought "this tale would win my daughter, too." He was of "a- free and open nature, that thinks men honest thatseem - but so ;" he was constant, loving, noble," and,. aeconi. ing to Ingo, would prove to Deanna= a "moat dear husband." All these qualities combined make what the world calls a model man. 011ullo possessed hvery attribute that gains the love of women and the re spect of men. He was the incarnation of valor and' honesty, and he moves among the chamfers -of the• play—the courteous scholar Cassia, the grave and wise Montano, the weed Brabantio, the handsome • Lodooko, the chivalrous Gratiano—an absolute em bodiment of all their virtues. We can only appre ciate the true idea of Olhdlo's character when we look at lags and Dade-new. logo is, without excel>. tion, the most accomplished villain that Shakapeare has crested. He possesses all the great qualities of Richard tu. and Macbeth without any of their failings. The impatient and grasping ambition, the foolish vanity of Richard, which led hins.to• murder when it was unnecessary, and kept' hifti. querulous and sad because his shoulder was deformed; he timidity and superstition of Mae. - both, which made him the creature of spice and eavesdroppers, and the victim of witches, have no, place in the character of logo. He possessed every. quality of greatness but honor. Restless, busy, pa-. tient, cool, unremitting—never going too fast whtub, precipitancy would have , been dangerous—never hesitating when the occasion required courage ands promptitude—with an intellect so keen that it read. the very hearts of men; discovered their weaknesses,' and made them his instruments and victims, he• ,was the crystallization of selfishness and mental power. He had not a human emotion; his wife; who loved him, did not receive a sentiment of love in return, but was abused:- And yet this man was an experienced soldier—a man of wit and education, and a complete master of the arts by which women. are made false and men made friends. He is never • surprised—never embarrassed—never at the mercy of any accident or event. in the midst of a scheme of assassination which he had planned, on which. his triumph depended, and which to his horror had. failed, he greeted Gralissur with as much courtesy. and sell-possession as though they had met in one of the saloons of Cyprus: ''.Signor G Latham ? I cry you gentle pardon: These bloody accidents must excuse my manners, That so neglected you." logo bated Othello, not merely because he had been, overlooked in the promotion of Cassie', nor because. rumor had given the gallantries of the general a per sonal and offensive application, but simply because. his heart found it necessary to hate some one, and his mind could only descend to hate the loftiest in view. Then, again, there was an idea of power, and pomp, and pleasure, that seemed to follow 011ieIbis ruin, for he felt that if he could only accomplish that soldier's fail, the necessities of the State would raise him to renown. To this purpose he bent his mighty will ; for, like men of that stamp, his will was unrelenting. Possessing intellect, he had every confidence in its power, and denying everything•like revelation, Providence, or divinity, was a materi alist. "'Tie in ourselves," so ran his strange•phi losophy, " that we are thus, or thus.- qurbodieeare gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners.; so. that, if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set bye. sup, and weed up thyme; supply it with one gender of herbs, or distract it with many, either to have it sterile with idleness or manured with industry, why, the power and corrigible authority of this-ilea in our wills." When we array an intellect like this,indo mitable and irresponsible, with no fear of death, and no belief in life's hereafter, against one,.like that of Othello, who was great in heart and: soul, and, like the greatest and beat men, worshipped. infinity, and looked with veneration upon a charmed. handker chief, we can anticipate the cataskrophethat con cludes the drama. It is an easy thing to criticise Shakspeare with a dictionary, or the genius of a great actor by the canons of modern taste. We may.say that one situ ation is wrong, another false, another affected. We may become angry with the doublet or the buskins, or denounce an actor because he akows his teeth when he Smiles ; and ridicule Hamlet for wiping the dust from his fingers when he throws down the skull. This lisping, dilletanti, local-item criticism, which - suggests the gallery and the supernumeraries' greenroom, is very far from being the true test of histrionic excellence. Genius is not always expected to parse its sentences, nor attitudinize in a certain fashion, because great actors have done so before. If we were disposed to engage in such a harmless and distasteful employment, we know of no actor that we would prefer criticising to Mr. Forrest. He has offended the dinetenti critics more absolutely than any actor on the stage. His disregard of the traditions is unblushing and inexcusable. Instead of following Garriek, and Kean, and Kemble, and paying more attention to Colley Cibber than Shak epeare, he has this audacity to play as it best pleases him to give the text the meaning that his genius suggests, and to make his acting the living tragedy. It has been urged in extenuation of this conduct that Mr. Forrest has genius—that he has experience— that he his given to his profession the unremitting and laborious attention of thirty years—that he has Copied life wherever he saw it, daring to steal, the emotions of anger from angry men—and, the mad capers of Lear from the bedlam' of Egypt. Then he has another shameful habit of improving.' He is never satisfied. Ile has played Othello a hundred times; he has studied it a hundred limes; and he dares to study it over again, and play it better this season than he did the season before. This is infamous f What is the use of being a tragedian if we are not Ilnisbed some time? and what is the use of being a critic, if we cannot make the tragedians play as we please? This constant ad vancing, improving, studying, learning, progres sing, is what ruins the whole business, and the re sult is that Mr. Forrest enjoys a fearful monopoly of crowded hOtreee, while other worthy men undergo the agehiee Of jealousy and death before echoing benches. According to the dilletanli critics, there is nothing easier than to play Othello. It only requires a careful attention to thetprompter's book, a certain amount of affection to Decdemona, and a proper com pass of voice in the closing scenes. If we could all think so, we would have more tragedians, and the business would pay better. The effect of a good play upon us is generally that of satisfaction. It is so easy and natural, that we feel satisfied that we could play it ourselves, and, perhaps, pro. duce greater effecte. We are convinced that there is nothing about Othello, as Mr. Forrest represents it, that we could not do quite as well. The dilletanti critics are satisfied that they could do it a great deal better;. but it is very probable that no audience in Christendom would agree with us. "I did not like the little man in black," said one of Fielding's cha racters, describing Garrick. as Hamlet, "he only talked like other men and became frightened at the ghost. The king was the man for me, for he spoke loud and big, and acted splendidly." The same opi nion is still expressed by men of the same stamp. They make acting traditional, hackneyed, and false; and their criticisms have as much meaning• as those of Miss Betsey Trotwood, in David Copperftek I: "If he likes to fly a kite sometlmes,what of that? Frank lin used to fly a kite. , He was a Quaker, or some thing of that sort, if I am not mistaken. And a Quaker flying a kite is a much more ridicu lous object than anybody else' Mr. Forrest realizes Othello as Shakspeare created him. All the grace, pride, majesty, and confidence: the soldier and the gentleman, in the most ten der of human relations—that of a newly-wedded husband: his frank, free, and generous nature shed ding gladness and joy upon all around him—this is certainly the . Othello that. Shakepeare gives US in the first two acts of the play—arid this is Mr. Forrest. The impressions are the same. The dead words of the book have life—and the fancy that follows the student over the page is at once a living thing, and moves before us. Can criticism have a higher test? The ,judgment says, "I am satisfied. I ace the Othello that I have always seen—the Othello of the closet, the study, the hours of thought and contem plation.” Beyond this, criticism is nothing more than chipping the corners of the Pyramids with a chisel, in the hope of changing the conception of the dead Setiostrie. We may chip for generations, but they will tower majestically over the spreading plain. - . In the third act, lago having accoMplished, the ruin of Canto, and finding the importunities of Roderigo annoying, throws his. whole mind into hie scheme, and begins to pour hie poison into Othello's soul. Othello is in the ecstasy of love—his fiery na ture feasts upon the affection of Desdemona, and in the rapture of-present life, he becomei,.- as it were, jealous, anxious, and grasping. All things pass away before the happiness he feels. Life is too short— the earth too dull—the stars too dim—the snin is spotted—there is nothing but his love. Night, day, joy, laughter, air, the sea, the streams, the beauti ful things of earth, the enchanting notes of war, glory, victory, fame, power—these things, - to one who loved as wildly as Othello, were the. mere beams that danced in the sunshine. "If it were now to die, . . 'Twere now to be moat happy; for I fear • , lily soul bath her content so absolute. That not another comfort like to this. n.ii creeds in unknown fate." _ . " I cannot speak enoush - of this content . : Wkich stops ins hero; it is toe much ofjoy; And this, and this. the greatest discord. bo - (Kissing her.) .. . - That e'er our hearts shell nmke !" . . 0. my sweet, I Prattle out of ths/don. an dote In 'Ms° own canif.rts." logo begins. He is disposed to deliberate„ thinks that time and patience and opportunity will be necessary to untlethrine as, great a nature as Oihriies. Ile finds, however, that it gunpowder he has to deal with, and not granite. The spark falls, and the whole mass explodes. Like the prairie tire, the workman drops a coal from his pipe, and the earth scents to be one rushing, consuming flame. It was so with OThello. In a few minutes after he Parts from Desdemona, full of tenderness, and truth, and love, and telling her that when he loves her not " chaos is come again," he is raving with jealous madness, and after passidg every stage of fury, re morse, anger, hate, and frenzy, withdraws to furnish some "swift meant) of death for the fair devil." This episode, in Many respects one of the most sublime conceptions of Shakspeare, enables Mr. Forrest to give us magnificent acting. The many pieces of de clamation that occur were delivered aa only he can deliver them, and the farewell to •glory, and fame, and `war, was exquisitely sad tuadlouching. Here the action of the play drives like a whirlwind. Lego has called up a fiend which he cannot appease. Any ordinary man would have been appalled by the terrible, fierce contention of human passion, aNti' we sometimes think that /ago himself, when Wrenn seized him by the thrbat and vented his curse uion• the slanderer of his wife, for a moment pausissiod almost retreats:. "O Grace ! 011eaven dr?fead me! Are yeti& HMV it - iiar,":,l 7 ,"? od be wit yon': take Amerodlce: wretched fool. That lival to make thine' honesty a. vice 0 monstrous world! Tel* note, take note. 0 world To be honest and direct' is not safe. I thank you for tiris profit ;and.- trombone& I love no friend, alnee love ireeds ouch offence !" Then are the word, of go hesitating. men. /ago pauses in alarm at what he has done;. he atemmers, protests, would fly. Ire rails &tient tliewbrid, and resigns his office. OguilAt hesitancy, however, as sures him : "I think mpwifebe honest, and think she is not; I think that thou art just, and think than art not. /'/t have some profit It is all over. logo sees.the advantage--presses it —hurries on the catastrophe. Othello is within hits toile. The great soul of the is conquered-by the great intellect of the Othe!Iola changed. He has stopped to palter, and question, axed auk 'for proof. His life is only revenge and: passion. He becomes degraded. He talks of plots, and strategerne, and tortures, and commands the assassination of Ciratio. All this Las foreign to the true character of Othello• as love and honor would have been to the true cha racter of lag°. lie is no longer what he was. He te. mad—his mind has become a paseion—his paistOn is' in Slavery, and nothing remains but death and sui- tide. To depict these varying passions—to•showini• an hour or two the vast change between the frank,. constant, loving Othello, as he proudly confronts the Venetian Senate—and the bleeding, helpless, ding suicide, as he lay at the side of his murdered wife, is • to attain the summit of tragic genius. We have Been Othello performed many times—we have looked ' upon it with various feelings—we have witnessed many splendid conceptions of the part, but we have • yet to Bee a tragedian who from the beginning to the the end, in every variation of passion, from love to hatred, from marriage to death, from one extreme to another, more cqppletely realizes the ides of Shakespeare, and the true meaning of the play, than Mr. Forrest. And this, we think, is the opinion of all who have given his performance of the part a • eareftil study. This evening a double treat will be given to the • public: a tine play by the late Dr. 8.. M. Bird, a • Philadelphian by adoption, and the principal charms ter sustained by a Philadelphian by birth, of whom his native city has the greatest cause to be proud.' The play is "The Broker of Bogota," and the actor is Edwin Forrest. Ten years have passed since the play was last performed in this city, and, as our gentle public may have forgotten the plot, we shall here give them an idea of it. Febro, the broker, is , literally, as we now understand the term, a banker, in one of the principal Spanish colonies ; i. c. he re ceives and takes care of the specie for noble and mer cantile families. Circulation then had not made ac quaintance with itagreen•backed representative. He • has two sons and a daughter, with the laet of whom the son of the Viceroy is in love, while his eldest son is what the epithet-mongers of the present day would call a confounded scamp, and is in love with the child of hie friend. Mendoza. His father has re nounced him. et the opening of the piece this son is almost penniless, and his friend Caberero prompts him to apply to his father, and finally applies to the old man himself. Febro refuse's him, but makes him an offer to quit Bogota, which Caberero declines ac cepting. He then prompts the son to rob his father, the key to the vault having been iced for over one Month—an error, perhaps the only one, in the con struction, as very certainly Febro would, under such circumstances, have had the vault broken open, and new means of closing and gaining access to it provided. However, Caberero finds the key, and suggests to Ramon to make use of it, which he is partly induced to do by Mendoza's refusing hisdaugtt ter to him, because he is without means. In the mean time an old scoundrel, Pablo—one of the most Shakepeareanly-drawn of all the characters—to whom Ramon is indebted, represents to Febro the penniless condition of hie boy, and succeeds in melt ing heart. In the next act he visits Ranson, im mediately after the robbery has taken place. This scene is very fine, and gives an opportunity to Mr. Forrest for a wonderful stage picture of paternal love. Ramon feels that he -cannot retrace his steps without compromising himself and Cabercro, and under the influence of the latter, repulses the old man. The robbery has, however, been discovered, and Mende= has tracked the robbers, with some offi cers of justice, to Pablo's house, where Cabercro de nounces Febro for having plundered those who had placed their money in hie keeping, and discovers a portion of it. Pablo confirms the accusation, and Ramon will not deny it The whole of this scene is very forcible, and is grandly conceived by Dr. Bird. In the next act, Fcbro is brought before the Viceroy, and the whole evidence goes so strongly against him, that the Viceroy la compelled to believe him guilty. Meanwhile Ramon has visited Juana, the daughterof Mendoza, and in a moment of passion confesses his guilt to her. When the last act opens, and Febro is brought up for sentence, she comes forward and de nounces the lover, whom she Ude renounced as the real criminal. Ramon is led off, and, in a tit of re morse, drowns himself. Atthe same time the son of the Viceroy, who has fled with the daughter of Febro, is brought in. Tbe old man believes he has disho nored her, but upon the discovery that she is his lawfully-wedded bride, the conflicting joy with the anguish for his son's death kills him. We have merely given . the dry bones of the plot of this drama,. which Is essentially the best serious play yet written. in America. • . . The characters of. Febro and Caberero. are superbly draWn."Pablo is a capital Shakapearian. scoundrel, as we before intimated, and Juana in. nobly conceived. It is a play which. is more than. worthy of Dr.• Bird's great reputation, and ought to keep the stage, even were it uneustained by the po sitive genius of such an actor as Edwin Forrest. Viz ARCH-STREET THSATIt E.—MiSS Jane Coombs, one of . the most correct, graceful, and attraotive. actresses on the stage, and a lady of very superior accomplishments, continues her engagement this week at Mrs. Drew's theatre. To-night she appears as Pauline, in "The Lady of Lyons," Mr. Bin sup porting her as Claude Melnotte. As an afterpiece,,M.r. Hill appears as Michael Erie, in the " PdaniacLoter.' This is an excellent bill. TIM WALNUT-BTRERT THRATRE.—This evening, Mr. Eddy and Miss Rate Dernn, who have been drawing very good houses in New York, commence an engagement at the above theatre. The bill pre sented lea good one, and from the known reputation of the artists we anticipate a full house. ASSENBLT BUILDINGS.—Signor Blitz and the Glass Blowers divide the honors at this popular re sort. The public do not forget their old favorite, neither are they unmindful of the mysteries of glass. blowing. CONCERT Her.g.—Tomorrow evening the Du rance Sisters, artistes of considerable celebrity, will give a concert, assisted by Mr. cereth, pianist. Mlt JAMES Monnoon.—Triere are some (we trust but few) timid and weak-minded persons among us, who imagine that the patriotism of the country is chilling, even unto death, by the long delay of the war. Such, doubtless, could haVe have had their fears dispelled on witnessing, at the Academy of Music, a few evenings since, the immense, en thusiast* and patriotic audience which filled that vast hall to listen to the eloquent reading, by the distinguished and patriotic elocutionist, Mr. Mur doch, of the poems of patriotism, for the benefit of the sick and wounded soldiers of the army of the ,Union. Rarely, if ever, has such a large and dis tinguished audience assembled with a better motive and been entertained with more unalloyed pleasure. The decorations of the building, by Messrs. Evans & Hassan, in the profuse display of our glorious na tional emblem; the spirit and character of the audi ence; the beautiful and appropriate narratives and introductions to the various pieces, by the distin guished reader, who is devoting his time and talents gratuitously to this holy object; and, above all, the matchless force, beauty, and eloquence with which the poems and extracts were rendered by Mr. Mur doch—all united to make an occasion never to be forgotten by those who were privileged to enjoy it. The tirstselection read was from that truly na tional and patriotic poem, by our fellow.citizen, T. Euchantei Read, "The New Pastoral," in which, with prophetic vision, he describes the possibility of the present rebellion, and, as if pointing to our pre sent pure and upright President, he sings : Here the great statesman from the ranks of toil May rise, with judgment clear, as strong as wise, And with a well-directed patriot-blow, Reclinch the rivets In our Union-b:ind, Which tinkering knaves have striven to set ajar'!" 'When it is remembered that this language is used by the personages of the poem located in the far oft prairies of the West, perhaps within the limits of the State of Illinois, the coincidence between. the prophecy and its present fulfilment is quite remark able ; and it was especially gratifying to observe, that to the reader's suggestion of such a coincidence, the appreciative audience gave a hearty and unani mous response. Then followed "Bokeris " glowing and patriotic poem of " The Cumberland," to the beauties of which the reader did ample justice, followed by "Drake's American Flag," Read's "Battle of the Brrindywine," from •- " The Wagoner, of the ' Alleghenies," also his thrilling poem of "The. Oath," lialleck , a "Marco Bozzarris," con cluding with Longfellow's glorious "Ship of State," all rendered in that admirable style, of which Murdoch, of all living orators, is the acknowledged master. One of the most.beautifal and effective poeiss recited was new to the audience. It is called "The Sleeping Sentinel," from the ao complished pen.of one of our fellow-citizens, Francis De Hone Jnivier, nod embalms, in undying verse, The well-known incident .of Scott, the Vermont volunteer, who, from extreme exhaustion, fell asleep while on duty as a sentinel, for which offence be was ordered to he shot, but at the last hour was pardoned by our humane President, and afterward met a heroic death before Yorktown. AVCTTON NOTICE—SALE ON BOOTS AND SITOE3.— The attention of buyers is called *to the large and desirable assortment of 1,000 oases boots, shoes, brogans, balmorals, to be sold at auction, this morning, at 10 o'clock precisely, by Philip Ford . Ec. Co., auctioneers, at their store, Nos. 025 IVirket and 022 Commerce street Cnumcw ROME FOR CHILDBES.— Last evening the seventh anniversary of the Church Home for Children took place in the Church of the Epiphany, at Fifteenth and Chestnut streets. Bt. Rev. Bishop Potter conducted the services on the oc casion. The annual report, which was rued, showed that the Home is now in quite a prosperous condi tion. The debt against the building has been entirely liquidated, and the balance now in the hands of the treasurer is $435. The current expenses of the Home during the year were $2,614.13. Seven children left the Borne, and of these, tire were returned to their parents or friends, satisfactory evidence- existing that the children would be rightly cared for. The vacancies thus made were filled by six boysand one girl, miming the total number in the Home 50. The health of the institution has been excellent, no cases of serious illness prevailing. ' none have been re ... moved by death. The report congratulates the con tributors to the fund out of which the Home is suo ported upon the noblereturn of their charity, in the contributing to so much happiness, and the allevia tion of so mush misery, URTTRCH CONSECRATED. - 011 Saturday morning, St. Timothj•'s Church, Roxborough, was consecrated according to the forms of the Episcopal Church. Rt. Rev. Bishop Stevens delivered the sermon upon the occasion. There were seventeen clergymen present. The services were of an imprers. 'sire character, and drew together a very large au,- dienoe.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers