gtt MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1864. No - We can take no notice of anonymous annum. nications. We do not return rejected manuscripts. —Voluntary correspondence solicited from all parts of the world, and especially from our different military and naval departments. When used, it will be paid tor. The Return of the Veterans. About three years ago regiment after regi ment marched out of Philadelphia, each ,numbering a- thousand men, of whom few had ever slain a foe or felt the fever of bat tle. The long blue lines glistened with un stained bayonets ; the flags they bore were untorn and bright. The streets were thronged with cheering crowds, and were loud with exultant music. Every one of us had a friend or a relative in the ranks, and personal in terest was added to the patriotic interest we felt in the story of war. When the news of a great battle came, the first question was sure to tie,_" Was it a victory for us ?" The second was as certainly, " How fought the 715. t...?" or, " What of the 23d, the 91st, the 9-:ith, the 29tb, or the 28th ?" With profound pride we have followed the Phila -delphia regiments through the war, for we - sent them forth with a confidence of which they have proved themselves worthy. Now some of these regiments have re turned, and of the thousand men come back. three hundred. The new uniforms are old and faded, the flags torn and riddled with bullets, the guns no longer bright and po lished, the men bearded and bronzed, and - marching Ar.:111 that indescribable gait Which. is learned by long carrying of a knapsack and a musket. They left us as raw volun teers., they return as veterans. Their ban ners are inscribed with the names of many victories.; but war is not merely a glory to them, for they have seen it face to face, and know what it is to march weary miles in the rain, to lie all night without shelter, to want food and clothine: to tee their comrades shot down, to be beaten in hattle,to be decinaated in victory. But they know, too, that they have done wen, and none can more deeply fed the necessity and justice of the war than those who have made it successful. Few of them left us as Abolitionists ; most of them return Abolitionists. Colonel Gezoonv, of the 91st, in his stirring speech on Fridziy night, was enthusiastically cheered by his brave comrades when he declared that the war must end only with the destruction of the cause of the war. The policy of thc Government is the creed of the army, as well as the inspiration of the people_ From the presence of these war-worn veterans we should learn something more than adve - nttnes and anecdotes of war. We should mote truly know the value of the principles for which they have suffered so long and much. We should know the duty of refilling their ranks, and helping them to finish what they have so well begun. The veteran regiments are welcome to Phi ladelphia for the honor they have donE its reputation as a loyal city ; they are doubly welcome because they do not intend to stay. They are the best soldiers in the world, and the Union depends upon them still. The Protective War-Claim Agency. The protective war-claim agency of the U. S. aanitary Commission had its origin in the desire to effect a prompt - settlement of the claims of soldiers and their relatives upon the C4overnment, and to afford protec tion against the exorbitant demands too often made by claim agents. The measure met with the cordial approval of the depart meats at Washington, whose labors it tended to facilitate by diminishing the op portunities fOr the prosecution of fraudulent claims. A board of managers was orga nized, and an examining surgeon aad solici tor were appointed in May, 1863, and, in the same month, an office was opened in the building occupied by the U. S. Sanitary Commission, at No. 1307 Chestnut street, Philadelphia. The result has fully demon strated the value of the enterprise. Without any special effort to call public attention to the work of the agency, nearly one thou sand claims were presented to it in the first six months of its operation, and the business has shown each month a steady increase. Two-thirds of these claims were preferred by soldiers coming from all parts of the loyal States who _had been honorably dis charged from the United States service by reason of rounds or sickness incurred therein, and the remainder were made by, the relatives of deceased soldiers. In addi tion to its regular work of prosecuting claims'for pension and bounty, the agency has been instrumental in obtaining their descriptive lists for soldiers who had lain months iehospital without pay for want of those papers, and in cor*cting, through the aid of its correspondents at Washington, errors in the final statements of discharged soldiers, which would otherwise have occa sioned them serious loss. By an arrange merit with the paymaster, Major TAGGART, :and the United States District Attorney the back pay due prisoners of war at Richmond 15 also prccured for their wives or mothers upon sufficient proof being made of such captivity and of the claimant's identity. These matters are all adjusted and payments made without any cost to the applicant, ex cept a trifling fee paid to the magistrate for executing the necessary affidavits. The saving thus effected to parties who are, in nearly ever y - case, of very limited means, may, be computed already at thousands of dollars. A few instances, selected at ran dom, will effectually prove this: A woman, residing in Philadelphia, whose husband died in the service about eighteen months ago, applied, shortly after his death, to a firm doing business as claim agents, who engaged to procure her pension and bounty for 4 the sum of ten dollars : at the end of eighteen months they handed over to her the amount of her claim for bounty, leas a charge of twenty-ftve dol lars for then sery ices, and then told her that they had ovellotakea her claim for pension altogether. :another lady, the widow of an officer, to whom large arrearage,s were due, but whose claim required very little proof, and that of the simplest sort, and was promptly adjusted by the department, was forced to pay ten per cent. to a claim agent, - whom she had employed for its colleetion. Although a severe penalty is imposed by the act of July 14, 1862, where the charge by an attorney for prosecuting a pension claim ex ceeds the sum of five dollars, the provision is often evaded, by charges for additional papers, - which are seldom requisite if the claim is originally properly prepared. One great hindrance to the satisfactory adjustment of claims for the bounty and pack pay of soldiers dying in the ser vice, and it is feared, to the work of en listing recruits, is found in the tedious pro cess to which those claims are subjected be- . fore final action upon them is had at the Second Auditor's Department. At least a year usually elapses from the date of the sol dier's death before the bounty and back pay remaining unsettled can be secured to his widow or children. This period is • usually the one in which his loss is most • felt, pecuniarily, by his family. Legislation - upon this point, either in the way of in creasing the force of clerks in the depart ments charged with the settlement of these claims, or in that of simplifying the accounts of the army, is imperatively needed. To alleviate, in some degree, the distress occa sioned by this delay, it is designed to set apart a sum from the funds of the Commis sion, from which to advance small sums in very necessitous cases, upon claims on file at the agency; but the relief thus afforded, it is manifest, must be very meagre and in adequate. • The value of the Protective War Claim Agency =mt be evident from this state ment of its purposes and principles. If any - further evidence of its right to the confi dence of the soldier, and the friends of the soldier, were needed, it would be found in the character of its officers. Mr. WM. H . 'Tuturbuial- is the Chairman of the Com mittee, and among its directors are WRACK. BENNET, Jn., ALEXANDER BROWN, w iL _ - Lux WELSH, Hon. J. J. CLARE HARE, CIIARIIIB J. STILLB, BENJAMIN Gzunikun, WM. L. BRAN, gROBGE TROTT, ilazonoup. PARRTER, GEOROB M. GONNA - EEO; U. LENrcox IlonoE, M. D., and Artinwrox Dx.iowr. Mr. WM. M. A.ertmAx is the solicitor of the Agency. The institutiOn. has/ been quietly doing a good work for some months, and we think it right that the public should fully know it. Public Opinion. The head of "the so-called Southern Con federation," may exclaim, like another usurper, " The Thanes fly . from me." In the rebel Congress it has been proclaimed, again and again, that he is incapable, and worse,—that each visit he paid to the army was sure to be followed by its defeat--that he meddled with every man's business, and spoiled whatever he touched—and that if he had been hired to injure the rebel cause, he could not more effectively have done that work. The rebel newspapers, once filled with warmest eulogia of his courage, judg ment, and patriotism, have changed their note. The Richmond journals treat him with coldness, and the remoter newspapers unhesitatingly proclaim that he is not their "right man in the right place." The mise rable public at large are arriving at the opinion that this man, who promised them so much, has brought out no result but bodily privations, a currency not worth its weight in lead, and an amount of debt which has not the remotest chance of ever being redeemed. The rebel army, without confidence or hope, (lin:illy distrusts and dislikes him. Pity it is that brave men, such as these have proved, should ever have taken arms under such a chief. Out of this country, the changed opinion on American affairs is vitally significant. The language with which Earl RUSSELL More than once insulted our Union, has been_ practically retracted by the firmness with which he has latterly insisted that Britif-h neutrality shall be a reality. Mr. GLADSTONE, once so virulent in his post:. prandial orations, would not now exult ingly declare that " JEFFERSON DA 1s had raised the. South into a great nation." Sir ROUNDELL PALMER and Sir ROBERT COOPER, the present law-officers of the Crown, avow that not only their moral sympathy, but their legal convictions are altogether with the North. Mr. VILLIERS and others of the Ministry, ridicule the idea of considering the South as anything but rebellious. Public opinion in England has been powerfully affected by the plain truths which Mr. BEECHER so eloquently and boldly placed before the crowds of well- educated persons who thronged to hear him. Mr. BRIGHT and Mr. COBDEN, known as the true.and tried friends of the masses, have ably seconded the statements of Mr. BEECHER ; while, on the other hand, the redoubtable Mr. SPENCE, of Liverpool, paid aunt of the rebels and hired libeller of the Union, in the -WM64, could scarcely obtain a hearing when he addressed public meet ings in the north of England and in Scot- land, and finally had to stop short in his lecturing tour, because his audiences vo cally.declared that they discredited him. These are important changes. Still more di clerative is that which has passed over the the foreign press. We have it, in the seized correspondence of the rebel agents in Eng ; land and France, that they expended con siderable sums in purchasing the press in i those countries—paid, in fact, for manufee -1 tiring public opinion in favor of rebel ! lion. It matters not whether the money was paid or promised (a little of both, per. haps), but, if ever it produced the desired results, it does not now. The Emperor of the French knows better than again to pro. I pose to England and Russia that interven tion in American affairs was justifiable, and I would be judicious. That bubble has burst, t and if the Emperor does not play his own rode a little more carefully, he may find himself once more a fugitive, without the remotest chance of ever again being in a condition to interfere in the affairs of any nation. i The Times has quietly lapsed from the ut most abuse to mere mention of the North, because it found that, being contrary to public opinion, "it would not pay," and being at variance with the evident course of events, it never would answer to say that black was white. Instead of holding the as sertion that the South was unconquerable, and would triumph even when acting on the aggressive, it now admits that the Southern armies are being beaten in the South and ! the Southwest ; that the superiority of the Northern force makes it irresistable ; that the South suffers immensely front want of food, clothing, and money ; and that when GRAliT's army becomes disposable for ope rations to the east of the mountains, it will not be easy for the Confederates to protect their capital. It goes beyond this, and calmly contemplates the total defeat of the South ; its solitary taunt, in conclusion, be ing that it will require> a large Northern .army of occupation to maintain order in the South, after the unlucky Confederation is broken up. The Times does not mention, perhaps does not know, that there are crowds of citizens in the South who would gladly return to the allegiance which threats Pad local circumstances made them appear to abandon, for a tirne. Whenever the South is reduced to submission to the laws of the Union, the best army of occupation there will be the men of the North, with enterprise, industry, capital, and loyalty, who will settle there and speedily remodel the Whole state of society. Northern enter raise and industry 'will soon put " Southern chivalry" upon an entirely new basis..> Th,e Times and the Saturday Review, have to con sider this probability, and will, ere long. The Last Round of the Ladder. In polite malignity the London TIMM probably stands without a parallel. The opening sentence of one of its Confederacy- Federal articles has the assurance to refer to the messages of the rival American Pre sidents. This impertinence is so froward, so unexplanatory, that at the first blush it should seem unnecessary to deal with it seriously. But the fixed spirit of spite and vituperation evident throughout the article demands attention. There can be no rivalry between Mr. LINCOLN and Mr. DAVIS. That is entirely out of the question. It is an idea which has never once occurred to the Northern States, and which, in itself, is purely ridiculous. Rivalry might as well exist between God and Satan as between ABRAHAM LINCOLN and JEFFERSON DANIS. - Mr. LINCOLN has not, indeed, been pre vented by a dangerous illness from address ing the Federal Legislature in terms that will - satisfy what the Times is pleased to tekm. the most extreme zealot of the Re publican party. There are no degrees of Comparison in the party which support Mr. LixeoLN. The members of that party all stand on the same footing in their support of the 'Union and the Constitution. Posi tive, comparative and superlative apply to Mr. DAVIS' own horde and the Secession Democracy. The President of the Southern Confederacy has been playing a sort of hot buttered blue-beans with the feeelings of the Southern people. Now he seems to come near it ; then he is very far off. At the beginning of the game he seemed, just about to touch it. Now he is so very far off that it is doubtful whether he will ever come near it again. The wholesale conscription measures which, by the law of self-preservation, he is forced to adopt, are having a very retail result, and will continue to have. It is certainly true that the trials of the armies are great. It might be admitted that soldiers have seldom a strong desire for the termination of a war, unless they are engaged in Monotonous gar rison duties far from the scene of strife. The remark of the Times that the excite ment of the campaign and the quickening rivalries which it engenders are enough to keep troops in the proper war-spirit as long as they are not depressed by want or ex hausted by defeats and fatigue, may like -wise be accepted. Is not the proper war spirit necessarily ebbing in the troops of the Eouthern Confederacy? Are they not depressed by want? Are they not exhausted by defeats ? Are they not worn out by fa tigue ? We all know the answer to these questions, and that answer is contained in the single word yes. The Times should likewise remember that it is not a logical consequence that certain considerations can hardly have failed to present themselves to Mr. LINCOLN, because they have already presented themselves to it. All the acts of Mr. - Lixeoraes Presidential career are in favor of the perpetuation of the Vnion. In everything he says and does in that direction he is backed by the unani mous co-operation of loyal Americans. Mr. Devrs' need of men and money, and his utter exhiustion of both, are sufficient rea sons, were others wanting, for the speedy close of the war and the destruction of the Southern Confederacy. The Union is not a partnership, whose dissolution they can effect at pleasure, and the firm which com prises our Government does not stand null and void before the world. The position of Mr. Davie is like that of the man in the pantomime, with the miraculous ladder, which sinks two rounds for every one round the pantomimist tries to climb. Upon the ladder of the. Southern Confederacy the Richmond potentate will never climb to be the rival of Mr. ',mem.lc. By-and-by the ladder will Blip away altogether, and leave Mr. DAVIS in an attitude of chronic amaze ment as to whither it has gone. The Whys and Whereiores of Military Arrests. If people will insist in placing themselves in positions where a military arrest is inevi table, they must take the consequences. That they do take the consequences is very evident. Where are a great tribe of dis loyalists who throng prisons, and who are on intimate terms with the constantly de creasing herd of traitors who as yet, at home and abroad, roam the earth at liberty. 'I his class of people do everything, and say everything which the malignancy of treason can suggest, to impede the progress of Unionism. They have borne despatches between Confederate States and Confede rate agents in Europe, their bosom friends are smugglers, and their pet toasts are trea sonable. The rebel mail-carriers have been particularly audacious in their nefarious calling, and the numbers who have at tempted to run the blocliade betrayed ener gy worthy of a better cause. Every means for facilitating the advance of treason has been resorted to, and in the most peaceable localities traitors have attempted to monopo lize the market. The energy of our Go vernment has been commensurate with all these endeavors. The dcstro,yers of tele graph wires, and the quibblers about taking the'oath of allegiance, have been most sum marily dealt with, and having sinned in haste, have the privilege allowed them of repenting at leisure. Let rebels and rebel sympathizers read the news and think it over, and they will soon see and feel in what direction the tide of Unionism is set ting. In every arrest and imprisonment that is made there is more than sufficient rea son. Comparing the feelings of 'Union captives with those of rebel prisoners, What a hearty appeal is found therein to the liberty whose enduring founda tions were first built in this country. Our fellow-Unionists who languish in Rich mond are infinitely better off than malignant rebels whom we have captured. The Rich mond sufferers are nerved with a conscious ness of being in the right, and surrounded with the blessing of the God who presides over the welfare of this Union. For what were prisoners in the South arrested? For espousing a Government which, like the rainbow, is the offspiing of the heavens, and an all-enduring promise to the nations of the earth. • The Situation in Japan. There was some danger, at one time, that the insolence of the Japanese, in attacking one of our steamer vessels (the Pembroke), last June, would lead to serious trouble. Our Government dem — anded a suitable in demnity, through our Minister at Japan, and the advisers of the Tycoon have consented to pay it. The precise terms of the repara tion have yet to be decided, but the affair may be considered as amicably settled. The British are less fortunate. Their naval and military force now preparing to be used against Japan will make a formidable expe dition, and five European regiments had been ordered from India still further to strengthen it, for it was likely that, long before Parliament could interfere, actual war between England and Japan would have been commenced, on the sole order of Earl RUSSELL. The French are also concerned in this difficulty, and actually occupy a posi tion on terra firma, which commands the city of Kanagawa, and was being strongly fortified by them at the beginning of Decem ber, the date of the last advices via San Francisco. The Japanese resemble neither the Hin doos nor the Chinese. They are a warlike nation, with a surprising aptitude for ac quiring what we call the arts of civilization —such arts including the building of steam boats, the casting of artillery, the manu facture of gunpowder, and the scientific use of firearms. They see what such" outside barbarians" as England and France have done in India, China, and Cochin-China, and are afraid that, unless they provide against it in time, measures may be taken for their own subjection also. They are sagacious enough to know that, in almost every instance where foreigners want to conquer an Eastern country, Commerce is the wedge first introduced :-once that has entered, quarrels, war, subjugation, follow. The Japanese also know, we believe, that one great nation; setting itself against the acquisition of any territory save on its own Continent, is largely commercial, and may be safely trusted when its traders carry their goods to remote markets. Therefore, while Japan does not tear the United States, it dreads, and is prepared to resist any but the most distant relations with England and France. Because Japan will remain independent, it resists even trade communion with England and France. Our good character happily places us above suspicion, and we are - what Treaties call "the most favored nation,'" because we deserve to be. The Mutiny at Fort Jackson. The court martial at Fort Jackson, Lou isiana, of which Brigadier General DWIGHT is President, has established the following facts in regard to the mutiny of a colored regiment, which are thus stated in the cor respondence of the New York Times "On the 9th of the present month ten of the men were Observed by Lieutenant Colonel Benedict coming in from beyond the guard lines. He asked them by what authority they did so, and they replied that permission had been given them by the sergeant of the guard. This proved to be a falseriood, and the lieutenant colonel,in a fit of anger,seized a teamster's whip, sed gave each of them a half dozen welt .aid on.' This was between three and four o'clock. The drum-major took up the quarrel, and spread disaffec tion among the men, and by eight o'clock had about one hundred men ripe for revolt. The first that the efficera knew of the mutiny was hearing the drum major order the men to fall in and load their guns.' Then began a scene of wild uproar and confusion. Guns were rapidly discharged, most of them in the air, although some shots parsed the officers' quar ters, and Limit. Col. Benedict's tent was burned. The steamer Sufbalk, lying at the wharf, wee searched and fired into by the mutineers, who hoped to hill Lieut. 001. Benediet. How he made his escape I know not, but he did succeed in getting to New Orleans. About half the rioters soon unloaded their pieces and went to their quarters, but for one whole night the camp was in possession of tt e insurgents. The next day moral power prevailed over brute force, the rioters returned to their duty, and the ringleaders were ar rested. I know of few instances of moral courage greater than that displayed by the officers in arrest ing thirteen of the insurgents and confiding them to the custody of their companions. There can be but little doubt that the principal offenders will be sen tenced and promptly executed. Of course, such an execution, done by their own fellows, will convey a terrible tenon to the whole Corps d'Afrique. Colo n el Benedict is being tried by the same court martial that is judging the negroec." If these statements be true, the provo cation for mutiny was immense. Lieute nant Colonel BENEDICT did not merely whip men who had so lately been slaves, but outraged the self-respect of men who are soldiers of the United States. He in sulted his own uniform. But no provo cation is sufficient to excuse the mutineers. Strict justice demands that the ringleaders who attempted the murder of an officer should be shot, and that Lieutenant Colonel BENEDICT should be dismissed from the service, for which his uncontrolable passions unfit him. MR. WM. CORNELL JEWETT, who has just returned from Europe, passed through the city last night on his way to Washing ton.- Mr. JEWETT is unlikely to receive either the approval of the Government or the people for his proposition that the United EtateS should meet in council with the rebel leaders. Mr. JEWETT attaches too much importance to European opinion. THACKERAIVS "IRISH SERTCH BOOK."—peter• Hon & Brother, have lost no time in bringing out a new edition, in octavo and with the authoecown amusing illuatrations, of W. Thackeray's "Irish Sketch Book." It is lively, satirical, entertaining, and will now be read with additional interest, on account of the writer') recent sugileti demitu. THE PRESS.-PITILADELPHIA, MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1864. Our season of skating, of late years con ducted upon old-fashioned principles, has all at once a magical activity. 7 hough the ice has bound the currents of the water, it has not stopped the circulation of blood. The skating pond, and not the ball-room, is the reigning sensation, and a rush of blood to the feet is not half so dangerous as a rush of blood to the head. Since our ladies have taken to skates, progress has become ten times more fascinating, and the weather is a great deal warmer. They care so little for the cold, that they have given the ice the cut direct ; and now the old allegorical, shiver-faced winter must resign his throne, and give place to some rosy beauty with a bonnet on. At the Corinthian pond on Saturday quadrilles and cotillions were skated to music, and " chasing the glowing hours with flying feet," received an inter pretation of which Byron did not dream. On with the dance 1 To young gentlemen and ladies the ice is fairly broken, and there is no danger of drowning. Skating has its gossip, and we are told that the family of General MEADE are among the earliest and most accomplished lady.pioneers of skating. This brave fashion has therefore brave leadership, and" the ladies will of course be as victorious over winter as our soldiers over the rebels. WAEIHMOTON, D. C., Jan. to. Non-Issue of Legal-Tender Currency. Mr. Cilesz will not issue any more legal-tender currency. This is his avowed purpose; and all who know his firmness of character will not doubt that he will adhere to his determination. It is not pro. bable that any more five twenty bonds than the amount already authorized will be issued. The Death or Judge Caleb B. Smith. The Secretary and Aasintant Secretary of the In. terior, and the heads of the several bureaus, together with all the employfe of that department, met in the rotunda of the building, on Saturday afternoon, and adopted suitable resolutions in view of the recent decease of Judge CALEB B. SMITH, formerly Secre tary of the Interior. As a further mark of ramped., Secretary Unarm ordered the Department to be clored for business during the remainder of the day. A. gentleman connected with the Navy Dep art meet states that our vessels of war now in foreign squadrons are about to be ordered home, and others sent in their places. It is understood that those now abroad will be replaced by some of our modern ships, of imposing appearance. The Niagara may probably go up the Mediterranean, with two or three of our new screw sloops. The exigencies of the blockade, and the necessities of home service, have too long prevented us from being represented in European waters by a force proportionate to our immense navy. Henceforward, however, we may have five or six ships up the Straits. f course, the important duty devolving on our vessels abroad will render it impossible for them to return until they are actually relieved. Meeting of Democratic Congressmen— Gold and Silver Payments. The Democratic and Conservative members of Congress met on Saturday evening at the Capitol, the Hon. Jonn L. Dawsorr in the chair, and unani mously adopted the following important resolutions offered by Jarriss Buooxe, of New York : Whereas, Gold and silver is paid to our ministers, consuls, and commissioners representing the nation in foreign countries, and gold and silver only are re ceived from the people at the custoan•houses in pay ment of duties; and whereas, the people are taxed to pay the capitalists their interest in specie on their investments in the national debt ; therefore be it R(solved, That the officers, soldiers, and sailors in tt.e army and navy should be paid in gold or silver, or 'heir equivalents to amount. ret be it also resolved, That the chairman of this meeting be instructed to prepare amendments to the army and navy bills to this effect. The following resolution, from a committee ap• pointed to consult upon the political matters likely to come before Congress, was also adopted: Resolved, That the President/a proclamation of the Bth of December, 1863, is unwise, inexpedient, revoin• tionary, and unconstitutional, and is, therefore, din. approved. Capture of a Rebel Schooner. The Navy Department has been advised of the capture of the rebel schooner Marshall G. Smith by the gunboat Kennebec. She was discovered about eighteen mile. east of Mobile Point, at night, when chase was given. Discovering the Kennebec, she changed her course and hauled into the land. A shell was fired, and the vessel then was approached and boarded. She was from Mobile bound to vane, with a cargo of 260 bales of cotton and turpen. tine. Her manifest and other paper* had been threwn overboard previous to her capture. Promotion of Colonel Underwood. Colonel Unnze.woon, of the 33d Massachuaetts, who was severely wounded at Lookout Mountain, Ilea in a critical condition a Nashville. He was highly complimented by General Hoortnn, Senator WiLsorr interested himself to have him appointed brigadier general, and today the commission was forwarded. The statement that S. M. OLAme, the chief of the note bureau in the Treasury Department, has been suspended from duty, is totally without foundation, and there is authority for the denial. There will probably be a vigorous examination as to the mo• tire of the author of the report. From Cumberland, Md. A private telegram from Cumberland, Md., re. ceived tonight, says all is quiet, and the railroad is perfectly safe, and the trains are running as usual. The Solicitor of the War Department expressed the opinion that, with the existing laws, further legislation will be necessary in order to secure the enrolment of eleven in the loyal States. No enrol ment of slaves hat thus far been made without an agreement with their masters. A bill will soon be introduced to meet the requirements of the case. (3wrw's offence in the treasury is said to be a di version of seventy thousand dollars of public money from the payment of presses and materials pur chased for his bureau, into his own pocket. The de tectives have traced paper and ink from the bank note printing department, in which he and another were principal employeEs, directly to counterfeiting establishment in New Jersey. There was produced the flood of fraudulent postage cur rency that exercised the Department last summer. Gen. Humpriparra having been appointed a mem ber of the National Scientific Convocation, is at tending its sessions in Washington. Johnston's Island. The ice has rendered Johnston's Island no longer an island, and fears have been entertained of a new attempt on the part of the rebel officers at that point to effect their escape. To meet any movement of this kind, a large force has been forwarded to that point. The Trial of Surgeon General Hammond. The Evening Star says the President has ordered a court martial for the trial of Surgeon General Ham storm, under charges of fraud and malpractices brought by the Commission that not long since ex amined into the attain of his office. Ae it is known that a number of persons claiming to represent the .science and philanthropy of the country have been exerting themselves here, as a committee to procure a prejudgment against the in tegrity of the commission instituting the charges, as well as against the character of its individual members, we may not improperly add that Prefer- SOTS AGAEBIZ and PIERCE, whose names are found among the alleged signers of the paper or address, have already taken occasion to repudiate it, upon the ground that they never designed their names Should be used in any such way or for any Bush pur poses as those in which the manager or managers of the effort to prevent a due investigation of the Sur geon General's official oonduct, have undertaken to use them. Five or six hundred persons have already applied for passes to attend sales of confiscated land in the South. The War Department will not furnish such persons with transportation. A Raid Over Ice. If this cold weather continues, the Potomac will be frozen over firmly, so that a rebel raid across into lower Maryland may be possible. Four men were on Saturday committed to the Old Capitol Prison.. They claimed to be refugees from Virginia, and had on their persons a large amount of gold, as well as a considerable sum of money in Southern bank notes. Hon. GEOECIE W. JULIAN, a Representative from the Fifth district of Indiana, improved hie holiday visit by marrying Miss LAURA. the youngest daugh ter of old Mr. Grnormos, now our consul general in Canada. A. great wedding is to come off here in a few weeks, at which the President will give away the bride. Personal. General Maras and General Dix were at the War Department yesterday. CAIRO, Jan. S.—The steamer Fanny, from 'Mem phis, which she left on Monday evening, has arrived, with 187 bales lot cotton for St. Louis. She experi• cooed great difficulty in ascending the river on an. count of the floating ice. The weather is now mo• aerate. BOSTON, Jan. 9—Midnight.—The royal Mail steam. ship Africa, from Liverpool via Halifax, has been signalled below, and, in consequence of the ice, she will not be able to arrive at her dock till daylight. Her advicep have been received by telegraph tram Halifax. thricamerr, Jan. 9.—Governor Bramiette, of Kentucky, sent a message to the Senate yesterday, urging the immediate necessity for Rising troops for the State defence. A Vessel Burned by a 'Rebel Pirate. POILTLAND, Jan. 0.--The ship Tonquin, Dupont, master, for Havre, was burned by a rebel pirate 'mid on October 26th, in latitude 10 mouth, and longitude 22 west. Accident on the New Jersey Railroad. NEW YORK, Jan. 9.—The 6 o'clock A. M. train from Philadelphia, when near Burlington, this morning, ran off the track, causing a detention of some three quarters of an hour. The cause of the accident was an obstruction of some kind on the rail. The for ward passenger oar was pretty well smashed, but none of the passengers were hurt. ' The Skating Sensation. WASHINGTON. Our Foreign Naval Squadrons. A Contradiction. The Enrolm ent of Slaves. The Grwin - 1 , " rand. Gen. Humphreys. The Confiscations. Committed. Hyutenial. From Cairo and Memphis. The Steamer Africa at Boston. The Defence of Kentucky. ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. CAPTURE OF A VOTED GUERILLA' Restoration of a Disgraced Cavalry Regiment. 0xii.r999.9. C. H., Jan. 9 [Special Despatch to The Press. 3 It snowed heavily last night, but to day it is bright and warm. To-day, the noted guerilla lllcCoWan and three of his men were captured by Forrest'm New York Cavalry Regiment, now reconnoitring in the direction of Sperryville. They left here in good humor, General Pleasonton having ordered their regimental colons and guidons to be restored. Last October, they were deprived of their flags on account of diegraceful conduct at Raccoon Ford, on the Re. pidan. Since then, their behavior has been so com mendable that they have regained their forfeited colors. DUB. COURT.MARTIAL SENTENCES HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, Jan. 10.—In pursuance of the sentence by general court. martial, Litutenants Isaac W. Whitemyer, 19th Indiana; Thom. A. Dorwart, 116th Pennsylvania: Edward F. Conway,llst New York ; Chas. Slavin, hat New York; John B. Hare, '12.1 New 'Y ork ; Thomas McNamee, 4th New York ; and Albert Reinert, 624 New York, have been dismissed the service. The !Sentences of death, for desertion, in tho cases of privates John Wilson, 71st Pennsylvania; Jas. Lane, 71st New York ; Jos. W. (Milton, 6th New Jersey ; Ira Smith, 11th New Jersey; and Allen G. Maxon, let Michigan Infantry, have been approved, and the executions fixed for the 29th inst. Surgeon Jonathan Letterman, United States army, for the last eighteen months medical director of this army, has been relieved, at his own request, and ordered to Philadelphia. Everything is quiet. The weather is intensely cold at night, and ice forms nightly over an inch in thickneis. THE WAR IN WEST VIRGINIA. Retreat of the Rebels f.om About Cum- beriand, Md.—Despatch front Gen. 'Melly. WASoentrrotr, „Tan. B.—Since the receipt of the newspaper telegram early thin morning announcing the appearance of Fitz Lee and Imboden with a rebel column, threatening Petersburg and Cumber. land. Md., the Star we a despatch has reached the headquarters of the army in this city, direct from General Kelly, crating that the rebels have retreat ed from those vicinities. BALTIMORE, Jan. 9.—Reliable .information from Cumberland, hid., this morning, says, "There are no rebels in the vicinity of Cumberland. They have retreated from the neighborhood of Petersburg, and have gone in the direction of Staunton. "All is quiet along the whole line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and the trains are running regu larly." DESPATCH FROM GEN. KELLEY TO GOV A. J. BOREIYIAN OIJMBICRLAND, 14Td., JIM. 7, 1861. A despatch just received from Col. Thoburn, cone mending at Petersburg, informs me the rebel force threatening him for several days past, has retreated toward the Shenandoah Valley. The force was a formidable one; consisting of three brigades—Lee's, Walker's, and Roaser'e—all under the command of Gen. Fitzhugh Lee. Deserters report that it was the intention of Lee to capture the garrison at Petersburg, take New Creek.and Cumberland, destroy our atoms, and break the railroad by burning the bridges, r4o. I am happy to inform you that the great raid un. dertsjien by General Early, in retaliation for our late movements in this department, has thus far re. suited in a complete failure, or fizzle. An empty wagon train of Col. Thoburn's, returning from Petersburg, was captured by a portion of the ene rol,s forces. With this exception, they have not thus far been able to inflict upon us any injury. Many deserters are coming in, and our cavalry are picking up many stragglers. • The railroad is safe, and train. are running regu larly. The weather is cold, and the snow is several inches deep. B. F. KELLEY, • FORTRESS MONROE, Escaped Prisoners. FORTREEf3 MOITROB, MID. B.—A snow storm com menced here last evening, and still continues up to 10 O'clock this evening. The schooner R. W. Froth sprung sleek at sea, and had to to throw the largest part of her cargo (coneist ing of salt) overboard. Two deserters from the nth Georgia Regiment and one from a Virginia regiment. came into our lines, via Suffolk, yeeterday. Sergeant 11/Ley ere, ;Of the 11th Pennsylvania Cav alry, has been sentenced by a court•martial to be shot to death, at such time and place as Gen. Getty may decide. The schooner Lola Montez, from Cape Cod, was dragged into one of the RlllOl2lll frigates this morn ing; and lost her mainmast by coming in contact with the bowsprit of the frigate. The steamer Sophia, from New York, bound to New Orleans, came into Hampton Roads this after n c on for repairs. FORTIMS Moulton, Jan. 9.—G-en. Butler returned to Fortress Monroe bust evening. - Allahe veered' that were, reported as having ar• rived here during the peat week sailed this after .. noon. The engineer and two firemen who ware captured from the Star of the West escaped from a Richmond prison and arrived here to-day. The following vessels passed the U. S. guard-ship Young Boyer, last evening, and came into Hampton Roads, for harbor: Sebr.Danaviata, Captain Sandere, St. Marys to New Haven. Sohr. Idler. Captain Fish, Pokomoke to N. York. Sohn R. W. Froth, Captain Hawthorn, Turk Maud to Baltimore. it... War. Western Orel Fort, Captain McLane, Port. /and to Washington. Schr. M. Nichols, Captain soon, Machias to Washington. Schr. Win. H. Lawson, Captain Snow, York River to New Yoik. Schr. Mary Snow, Captain Atwood, Boston to Tangfiers. Schr. Wm. H. Atwood, Captain Foster, Boston to Deals Island. Schr. Chief, Captain Ryder, New York to Deals bland. Schr. Charlatan Jayne, Captain Burlum, Batt- Moore to New York. Adelma, Captain Lound, Calais, Me., to Baltimore. Sam. M. Rodgers, Captain Abrams, Nantucket to New York. Schr. E. A. Crozier, Captain Jones, New York to York River. Schr. Delia B. Strong, Captain Tyler, New York to Washington. Schr. L. Sweeney, Captain Decker, Tangiers to Boston. _ Sehr. Fanny Baker, Captain Byron, Tangiers to Boston. Rehr. J. B. Roster, Captain Houghton, New York to Washington. Sehr. Agate, Captain Hange, Tangiers to Bost&. U. S. schooner Recruit, In for harbor. THE WAR IN TENNESSEE, Re.enlistment of Veterans—Oiler Against Guerilla Sympathizers. CINCINNATI, Jan. 9.—A special despatch from Chattanooga, dated the 4th, says that the 41st Ohio arrived from Knoxville on the way home on fur lough, having re.enlisted as veterans. The 19th Ohio, all but one man, re-enlisted. All of the 51st Ohio re enlisted. The 4th and 6th Kentucky Cavalry go home to•morrow. Wheeler's rebel guerillas are very quiet since their lad defeat. Gen. Thomas his issued an order assessing the rebel sympathizers living within ten miles of the scene of the recent killing of three Delon soldiers, near Mulberry, Tenn., by guerillas, in the sum of szo,ooo, to be divided among the families of J. W. °mutt and Dwight Murray, of the 9th Ohio Bat tery, and George Jacobs, of the 22d Wisconsin. NASSAU. Movements of Blockade Runners—toss of a Philadelphia Vessel Nz.w Yana . , Tan. 10.—The steamer Gov. Bayley, from Nassau, N. P., with dates to tho 4th instant, has arrived. The rebel steamer Lucy, with cotton, arrived at Nassau on the 21st ult. The bark J. J. Philbriok, from Philadelphia for Key Wert, with coal, was totally lost on the tith nit, on the Grand Bahamas. The captain and crew bad arrived at Naseau. The Gov. Bayley was overhauled by a Federal cruiser on her outward passage. The Nassau Guardian states that Mr. Wolf , ' pro• perty siezed on the Corsica has been given up on the demand of Lord Lyons, and that Wolf has com menced an action for damages against the United stater. The rebel steamer Pet sailed on the 26th lilt. for Wilmington, N. C. The steamers Don, Lucy, Ro themay, Castle, and Beudego all sailed on the lath Ult. for the same port. L.. The U. S. steamer Sonoma wee atiLittle Stirrup Key on the afternoon of the 29th, and observing a steamer fifteen miles to the eastward, went 14 pur suit of her. The steamers; W. Dayrell and Albauce sailed for Wilmington on the 2d of January. THE CIIESAPEAKI PIR&CY. INTERESTING JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS. HALIFAX, N. S., Jan. B.—The cue of the steamer Chesapeake was commenced in the Admiralty Court this morning, Hon. Judge Stuart, C. 8., presiding, Hon. J. W. Johnston, Advocate General, represent ing the Crown, with W. A. D. Morse as counsel for the owners of the Chesapeake, and J. W. Ritchie, Esq., counsel for the Confederates. The Judge stated that the cause was entertained upon the ground that the seizure of the vessel was a piratical act. His opinion was that the vessel ought to be given up to her owner.. Mr. Ritchie asked the judge to contemplate the probability of an application for the poseeniori of the vessel on the part of the Confederates. His Honor declared that he' would not entertain anything of the kind. Mr. Ritchie then gave his interpretation of the law upon the validity of the seizure, contending that any citizen of the Southern Confederacy, with:, or without a commission, has an absolute right to seize any vowel belonging to the Federal., and it would be a lawful prize. The Advocate General mid he felt some difficulty in bringing the case - into URN court, as there was a pretence of her being a lawful prize ; but there was prima facie evidence to show that the capture was an act of piracy. ilia opinion was that tlie vessel should be delivered over to her owners. Without further proceedings, the court was adjourned till the 13th instant. A Vessel Burned by a Rebel Pirate. PORTLAND, Jan. 9.—The ship Tarquin, Dupont, roaster, for Havre, was burned by a rebel pirate yes. eel on Ootober 26th, In latitude 10 deg. south, and longitude a 2 deg. west. Death of Admiral Storer. BOSTON, Jen. e..--Admirel Storer. U. S. N.% cli,l at Pottimouth. N. IR.; yeatecday: Arrival of n Rebel Senator with Orders from Jeff Davis—A Jewish Spy—lmpor tant Order of Glen. iSmalco — TfAs Pewit- dent's Amnesty Proclamation Oran°, Jan. 10.—The steamer Forsyth, from Mem• phis, bas arrived, with dates to the'rth, She brings 247 bales of cotton. . . The Little Rook Democrat, of the 26th ult., says Senator Mitchell recently returned front R ichmond with orders from .Teff Davis which created Con siderable stir in the rebel camps.' Lieutenant Green, with a detachment of the 3d Federal Arkansas Cavalry, en route for Fort Smith, was attacked, a few days since, by the rebel Colonel Rail. The enemy was whipped, and the oolonel and nine men were captured. Captain Napier, of the Name regiment, had a fight with the rebels recently in Yellow county, and cap tured Lieut. Barrett and fifteen men. A Jew, named Morrison, who has been travelling up and down the river, remesenting himself as an agent of the New York . Associated Press and cor respondent of several newspapers, has been arrested at Memphis and lodged in the Irving prison. Papers were found on him proving him an imposter and fat plicating him as a rebel spy. The steamer Continental, from New Orleans, with dates to the tat inst., has arrived. She brings 20 bales cotton, 665 pounds sugar, and 940 barrels mo lasses. She met ice 60 or 10 miles below Helena, something almost unheard of. General Banks had issued a general order incorpo rating the amnesty proclamation of President Lin coln and such parts of the President's message as explain its limits end regulate the same. The oath of allegiance prescribed by the President to be taken by those accepting the pardon, is also embodied in the order. General Banks informs the people that all who are desirous of doing so can take the oath at once, and all provost marshals are instructed to ad minister it. The Era says the last night of the old year.was the colds a, ever known in that latitude. Cotton—Middling 72 raeia ; strictly do. 74; good ; middling fair '76@79 ; fair •iii@)Bo. FORT SsilTir, Arkansas, Jan. 6.—Lieut. W. A. Brittain, of King's Third Arkansas Regiment, at- Cached to Fagin's rebel brigade, came into our lines to-day, with a squad of his command. He left Prices headquarters at Longwood, twenty miles west of Golden, on Christmas. General Holmes was in command of the Texas• Mississippi Itebel *Department. Price commands the army in the field, which is es timated at 17,000 strong. but Brittain says the entire effective rebel force. outside of Texas, does not ex. teed 13,000 men. Of Price's Missourians only about 3,000 or 4,000 remain, and but few of these are part of the army be took out of Missouri. The vete• rens of Lexington and Pea Ridge are mostly in their graves. The Missouri troops are Shelby's ca valry and Parsons' infantry brigades, mostly new re cruits, conscripts, and bushwackersrecentlyjoined. Gen. Steele has been superseded in command of the rebel department of the Indian territory by Brig- Gen. Maxey. Gen. Gano is another new Texan General who has had command of the rebel troops. They have issues of only fresh beef and corn meal, with one ration of flour per week. They are badly clothed, have no tents, and suffer greatly. The reports of the Federal successes in Texas, and Gen. Banks' possession of the Rio Grande, created great gloom among the rebels. Rumors of the issue of President Lincoln's amnesty proclamation are also having an effect throughout their ranks, and desertions were frequent. The officers were pro mising that the General would make a speedy ad vance northward to keep them quiet. Many well. informed cflicere were of the opinion that Prise would move his column upon Little Rook, and Maxey, with another, on Fort Smith" The weather here bee been the coldest ever known, The thermometer has ood ten to fifteen degrees be- low zero for several days, and mow has fallen six inches deep. Our cavalry crossed the river on the ice, and intercepted the rebel mail. The captured letters speak of an immediate advance of their forces northward as probable. IMPORTANT DATES FROM TEXAS. Brigadier General. The Rebels Concentrating their Forces. RE••ENLISTMENT OF VETERANS. Navy YORK, Tan. 10.—The steamer Columbia, from . New Orleans, with dates of the ad inst., has arrived. The following is the latest intelligence. Nam 011.1. BANS, Jan. 3-7 A. M.—lnformation has reached here, from three or four directions, that all the rtbel troops which have been operating, in Western Louisiana, on the banks of the Mississip• pi, and, in fact, the whole force of the enemy, arc gathering in Central Texas, and uniting to form one large army, to attack our new acquisitions on the coast of Texas. They will number at least 20,000 men. The most ample preparations have been made to meet this force, as well as possible, with a number. of the troops in this department. There will soon be news of great interest front Texas. -The 19th Army Corps still remains at New Iberia. Nearly every regiment has re•enlisted as veterans. An agent of Connecticut, at New Iberia, is paying every man from that State who re•enlists three hun• dred dollars. The 12th Connecticut regiment re•en• listed en mime.- Rebel Defences on Brazos Rlver—lllagra MATAGORDA, Dec. 20 S'eventy-ftve miles north of Pase Cavallo the Brazos river enters the Gulf of Mexico. This is one of the finest streams in the State r and flows through its most thickly-populated and highly. cultivated counties. The river has ano ther and more powerful claim upon our attention. Prom the Gulf it affords ready access to vessels en. gaged in contraband traffic with the enemy, and is, also, a secure haven against the terrific " northers' , for which Texas and this part of the Gulf are quite famous. Brazos river presents, also, the first na tional obstacle to the progress of an army moving northward. Not forgetful of these facts, the enemy has determined to make a defence of the river. Upon its eolith bank, at its mouth, stands the small town of Quintana, numbering about twenty-five houses, of all kinds, and, it is said, quite a number of Witt bitante, considering the timer. At this place the enemy has erected a redoubt, mounting two guns, and has also here established a garrison for ire de. fence, and infantry for its support. Opposite Quin tana; north of the liver, is situated Velasco, a town of the size of the other. Here the enemy has con structed his [main fort, which mounts three guns, and has also assembled here a suitable force. Whether the enemy has any other communication between these two points than by small boats has not been learned. From numerous unquestionable- sources we are advised of the great unpopularity of Magruder. The charges laid against him are acts of tyranny and oppression and most gross immoralities. The character of his rule is very clearly sustained by the proclamations he has published within the last month in relation to a line of duty to be carried out by the citizens of Texas. Indeed, it is a question whether he is doing more for the cause of the rebel lion or the Union. The popular voice of Texas never heartily sided with the insurrection, and there is little doubt whether their action in the fu ture will not tend boldly for the restoration of the authority of the National Government. One of the acts of Magruder's severe rule was an order to the citizens of Powder Horn, Indianola, and Lavaeca to destroy their towns in order to pre vent them from falling into the hands of our forces. The citizens, however, did not feel disposed to obey. at d armed themselves to resist any attempt to carry the order into effect. Three consecutive nights and days did the inhabitants of those places patrol their streets. Fortunately no effort was made to carry out Magruder's instructions; otherwise there would have been an Immediate disruption of the present apparently peaceable state of affairs. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9.—The aggregate business of the week ham been large, particularly as regards alcohol, sugar, and syrup. The general markets since New Year's Day have bean firmer, with con rieerable animation. The political contest in Nevada Territory Was be. coming intensely exciting. The clause in the con. atitution, permitting the taxation of the miners, is furiously assailed, and though there is a general de she to have a State Government organized as speedily as possible, the indications are that the constitution win be rejected by the popular vote. San Pnatserseo, Jan. 10.—Arrived—Steamer zaba, from Panama. Surveyor Andrews, suspecting L.' J. Olmstead, of Yonkers, of being engaged in the contraband trade of sending goods to the rebels by way of Ha vana and Nassau, he was arrested, on the 4th inst., on that charge. Three special aids proceeded to Yorkers and investigated the facts, and were sub• sequently authorized to arrest him and seize his Imperil. Among the papers some were found which had unmistakably run the blockade. Olmstead , a family reside at Yonkers ; but for the last two years he has been spending the chief part of his time in Havana, where he pretended to be engaged in some public work ; but it appears he had agents in Havana end Nassau, who were sending good. forwarded to them to the rebels. Devier was his agent in Havana, and he shipped goods ta Wilmington and elsewhere in the Confederacy. Saunders & Long were his agents in Nassau. Olmstead was about leaving for Havana when :kneeled. He has been handed over to the United States Drenthe' for safe keeping.— Herald. DOES any one believe that, if the Democrats had carried Pennsylvania, last October, and if they had seventeen Senators to sixteen, and one of their Senators were a prisoner at Richmond, and the Senate thereby tied, so that it could not be organ ized, Mr. JefF Davis would refuse to exchange that Senator for one of his own officers, so as to let the Democrats organize the Senate and go ahead? if any one does believe this, will he please to make it manifest 7—Tribune, TDB SANDWICH IBLANDS.—The providence Jour• nal remarks upon the approaching extinction of the population of the Sandwich Islands, and says : " It will soon become a gnettion of importance to &termite into whole haring the Islands shall fall." The Journal itself then proceeds very gracefully to settle this question : "They ought to come to us, whenever the time ar. rives for them to give up their independence:, • The story that has been going the rounds, s, al leging that George D. Ptentiee, of the Louisville J00772A had become so intemperate that the proprie torsbip and editorship of that paper had passed from his hands, is denied on authority. SEATING AT TIIE PARR.—During Friday and Saturday last the Park at Thirty.tiret and Wet. nut streets was in fine condition for skating, and thousands erjoyed the invigorating exerctie. The ramie presented on Saturday afternoon was varied and exciting, and the ludicrous gyrations of new beginners afforded =tole merriment. For the pur pose of preventing all inufroprieties, and adding to the comfort and pleasure of the patrons of the Park, the managers have adopted a number of rules, and have secured the service. of an efficient police force for the preservation of order. Persons without skates are not permitted on the ice. The excellent arrangements, superintended by Mr. William F. Van Hook, are calculated to make the Park one of the moat attractive features of our city during the peiod of the cold weather. FIIII3.—A slight fire took place yesterday afternoon, at No. 1414 Santora street. The dsmsge may [Mug. ARKANSAS ANO LOUISIANA. ORDER OF GENERAL BANKS FROM PORT SMITH DEPARTMENT OF TRH GULF. TEXAS. der's Unpopularity SAN FRANCISCO. The Contraband Trade. IRTTIR FROM HiRRISBIIRO. The Majority in the Senate will not 'Wield —Rumored Exchange of Senator White— Senator Lowry in Washington — Mr Lin coin Sustained by the Legislature — The Dela yof Business—The Bounty Et Heenan — The Object of the Opposition—The Pro babilitiet. CCorreepoodenca of The Prase HAIII3IBIII7nff, Jan. 9, 1864. The Senate is yet at a dead lock. Neither party seems disposed to yield, and thus time runs along, and the Democracy are adding the finishing strokes to the grave of their party. They killed it long ago. Union Senators will never yield to the demands of the minority. Of this you may assure the loyal millions of the country. The public will not dia -1 appointed by their action. In the language of Sena tor itdotlandleee, they will set in their meal until dhomsday before they will consent to yield to minority, which is now talfieg advantage of one of the calamities of war. Union Senators are a unit upon this point. There will be no Wavering, and the Copperheads are calculating without their host if they expect anything else. It was rumored in town yesterday, that the rebel authorities had offered to exchange Senator White for a general of theirs who is now in our hands, and that they would release him on parole, until the exchange was consummated. The Union Senators united in recommending to the War Department the necessity of accepting their proposition, and Senator Lowry left here yesterday afternoon, to confer with the authorities at Washington, confidently hoping to accomplish the object of his misidon. It has been sugeated that J'eff Davis is ashamed of the so ,ion of his Northern friends, and that he demirel to end the Senatorial lame as soon as possible. This rumor may be unfounded. Yon have it for what it is worth. But, of one thing the Democrat:fp may rest assured, when the Senate has a new organization, it will befeunded upon a Union basis, unless prevented by the calamities of war or the dispensetions of Providence. A circular has neen signed by the Union members of the Senate and House of Representatives, en• dotting the war policy and general conduct of the Administration, and cordially recommending Abra ham Lincoln as the proper person for the next Presi dent of the United States. Much important business will be before the present Legielature, all of which is delayed by the factious opposition of the Democracy. A bill should be passed at once for the payment of a State bounty, in order that our volunteers may receive as much as our ncighbOring Staten are paying theirs. In my opinion, One of the main reasons for their unoaUed for opposi tion is the hope of staving off a vote upon quote Hon. A Democratic member of the Heuer) told me, yesterday, that "he would not vote a single dollar for the payment of bounties; that each county should raise her own volunteers, and pay them." His party, while professing an unconditional loyalty, never neglect an opportunity of embarrassing the country. Last winter, the House was flooded with remonstrances from Democratic counties against le galizing the nits of the commissioners who had paid county bounties. And now, they are for local bourn ties! Axe they not jewels of consistency 1 The simple truth is, they are determined to oppose the Government, and never neglest an opportunity of throwieg cold water upon everything which has for its object the reinforcement of our armies, the crush _ ing out of armed rebellion, or that tends to add to the dignity of our Government, or the enforcement of its laws. Their patriotism is too cheap. Loyal men regard it with suspicion. LI do charge the Democratic party with being die loyal. They say they , are not. But I must submit, with all due respect, that their course gives but little aid and comfort to the country. Suppose the Senate is not organized, and that Speaker Penney is holding hie piece in defiance of law, and that the present state of things should exist upon the 19th, the day fixed by the Constitution for the inaugura tion, who can administer the oath of office to Gov. Curtin? It has been more than once reported that their object is to stave off an organization beyond that day, and by force or intimidation prevent him hom resuming the executive chair. Can anything else be inferred from their actions? If the Speaker had resigned the day the Senate convened, they would have had it all their own way, and might have been able to inaugurate "a speck of war." The country is under many obligations to Speaker Penney for his conduct in such a delicate position. He has not disappointed his friends or the people, nil has upon this occasion, as upon all others, proven fully equal to the emergency. Had he yield ed, who can tell Wbat would have been the result? If Senator White returns, there may be a new election. If not, the oath of office will be adminite tered by the present Speaker, and the country will sustain him. FRANK. 11EW :YORK. Henry Robbery in the Sixth Ward—A Safe Car Tied. on! Naw YOBB, :ran. 9.—At a late hour on Thursday night ?owe adroit and expert thieves enteres the frOnt room of the premises No. 60 Hiatt street, oc cupied by Dirs. Rachel Newton, by means of false kepi, ant- while the occupant was asleep in the back room, they carried oft's small safe in the apart ment. The safe contained $2OO in Mill ;a- gold watch and chain, valued at $l9O ; a diamond breast pin, valued at $3OO ; a gold ring, valued at $3O; a bank-book, on the Chambers-street Savings Bank, for $lOO, and a United States five-twenty bond for $l,OOO. The thieves, it appears, had a home and wagon at the door of the premises, into which they placed the safe, and drove off. The hone and wagon were subsequently found some distance from the place, backed up in front of- a house. No clue has yet been obtained to the thleveii but Captain Jourdan, - of the Sixth precinct, has the matter in charge, and has hopes of ferreting out the perpetrators. The husband of Mrs. Newfelt is a sutler in the army, and the wife feels very much the loss of the valu ables. THE BONDS FOR BLOCKADE RIINNEES—ARREST OF THE PRIVATE SECRETARY TO THE COLLECTOR OP NEW YORK. .From the N. T. Tribune . It will be remembered that United States Mar shed billrrny . Rustle the arrest several dar-s since of Louis Benjamin, on the charge of having shipped goods lo Nassau, the ultimate destination of Which was for the South. Benjamin was at once sent to Fe r t Lafayette, and all tne papers found in his office, his o.ffice irate, account.books, letter-books, he., taken pnasession of by the Marshal. The safe was found securely locked, and there was very little in the papers and books found that could be considered evidence of the prisoner's guilt. Nothing was ke own of the contents of the safe, but Maraud Murray was convince dit would be policy to know just what it did contain, and on Tuesday afternoon succeeded in opening it. The check. hook of Benjamin was found inalde, with marginal references, showing that a number of checks nad been drawn in favor of A. K. Palmer, Collector Barney's private secretary, for sums vary. ing from $l5O to $250 each. There were some other papers found, tending to show considerable inti macy between the parties, and one of these in Pal mer's handwriting, on the official paper of the Cus tom Rouse, read : • DEAR BEN4AMIN: Send me $l5O immediately. I will use it at once. " Yours,. _ PALMER" . - . It is stated that Benjamin was in the habit of shin ping goods to Nassau in some other name; that he would then enter his own name in the bond as one of the sureties that the goods should not go tato the Coaftdersey. It is alleged that Palmer procured the second bondsman (the law requiring two), and that he accepted the name of Smalley, a clerk in the (Mice, as the ;second surety. Another statement is that Fmalley was induced to go upon the bond out of friendship for Benjamin. In either case, Palmer's position was such as to allow any name to pass that tad once been approved by him, andje is stated that he allowed these names to appear mind to pass for a consideration. The full nature of the evidence against him, however, is not fully known, and it cannot be said with precision how much or how lit tle he is implicated ; but there are important dom. meats in the case 'and several papers in possession of the marshal which have a bearing upon the entire transactions of Palmer and others. Tribune correspondence from the army of the Potomac notices the melancholy event of the death of Lieutenant Thomas J. Armstrong, of Pittsburg: "Lieutenant Armstrong was universally beloved by his brother officers for the many excellent traits which. upon the long, tedious match, and amid the Pie rce hours of the bloody conflict upon the field, shone out from his unblemished character. Sicgtv laxly modest, he possessed the undaunted courage of a Christian soldier; and he leaves behind him a re cord of patriotic heroism undimmed by a single min demeanor, He came out as a private with tile first tto ee• months troops, and at the first can for three years troopa be again responded, re-entering the ser vice as a first lieutenant in Company G, 23d Penn iulvania Volunteers. May, 1863, he received an appointment as aid-decamp on Brigadier General itiesander Shalcr's ataff; commanding fat Brigade, 3d Division, 6th Corps, where he served with the same distinction. Chaplain Shinn, of the 23d Penn sylvania Volunteer., assisted by Chaplain Burk hardt, of the 65th New YorU Volunteers, admints tried the last solemn rites of Christian burial. in the presence of a large number of stair and regi mental officers, this morning, at Brandy Station, Many of the officers rode several miles in the drift. ing snowstorm to testify their. appreciation and regard for the deceased by their presence on this solemn occasion." GOVERNOR SEYMOUR.—Governor Seymour, of New York, whose first year'. atiministrption has been condemned by 30.000 majority of Ins fallow citizen., resumes his old monotonous task of abusing every act, measure, and step taken by the Federal Government toward suppressing the existing rebel lion. lila argument., new and old, have come to be r early devoid of public interest, Meanie his attl tude of total opposition is taken for granted. It is his political stock in trade, and he ls expected to make the most of it. We-can only conceive of him as passing the greater part of his time in thinking over what he can say against each new measure proposed at Washington ; and if, as sometimes happens, the measure first proposed be dropped, and another, quite unlike it, adopted, then he probably cudgels his brains to see what can be said against that. Of couple, he la successful in accumulating a fund of objections, so that, as Governor of New York, be has even more to say on topicalalling di folly within the province of the President of the United States than the President himself Perhaps --obi any one think of it beforet—he is in training for the Presicency.—Beaton Jotana. A MAN BAKED TO DRAT/I.—The Newark (New Jersey) Journal records the following : (in ia Curday last a man named David Winston, employed in Sten. gel's patent•leather manufactory, Plane street, was missed from his work, and it was supposed that he had left the premise s. On Tuesday, an unpleasant smell was noticed in the vicinity of a large heated chamber, and next day the smell increasing in Wren.. aliveness, one of the men in the factory entered the archway to ascertain the cause, and there discovered the body of Winston reclining against the wail. The chamber was too hot to allow of the immediate removal of the remains, but it was evident that the unfortunate man had been literally baked to death. He bad probably gone in for the purpose of warming bin self, and was so overpowered by the heat as to be unable to find his way out. The oven was cooled off yesterday afternoon, and the body removed from its awful tomb. Public Entertainments. NEW CHELSTNIM•STIIEBT THEATRE.--H'ile Vest vali has recovered from a severe indisposition, and will appear this evening as Caphein Henri de Lager dare, in "The Duke.'s Motto," a drama of ineatima. WO effect and interest, which thousands have seen, but would ace again. Mlle Vestvall will endow all the original music of her part, and sing, basidegthe delightful music of "La Manola." how well she is able to sing, how well to act, every one has heard, and every one should know. Rarely are two re. markable gifts combined With so much unqueation able power as in Wile Vestvali; and we are well assured that her real and full merit has been but very partially! witnessed. "The Duke's Motto" is lacking in no essential of theatrical interest. As produced at the Uhestnutstreet Theatre it is a very brilliant spectacle and an absorbing story. Mlle VestVali Will give it double raseluatical. GLUON MEETING IN CINCINNATI,; SPEECH OF GFN. E. W. GANTT, OF BMW GDNS. ROWLAND AND NEOLDI PBE SlitiT, A large 'Union meeting assembled on the eveetu; of the 7th, at Mozart Hell, Cincinnati, to hear the oration of Professor McCoy. General Rosecrez, presided, and beside him eat General Negley 9 44 General Gantt. — The following letter was read amid great ai,, plaute CINCINNATI . , 0., Jan. G, Mr. Jno. D Caldwell, Car. Sec. G. W. Fair: SIB: Your kind note extending to me au oppo t , tunity to address the people of this city at alozart 011 Saturday night, for the benefit of the M c ', and wounded soldiers, has reached me. I regret to say that circumstances beyond myoon. trol will deprive me of that pleasure. Reciprocating your 'sentiments of friendly feelings between. the people of our reapeetive States, I hazard nothing in saying that In four months At. Minims will resume her relations with the National Government, under a Constitution excluding for ever negro slavery from her aoU, as having been the source of all her sufferings and calamities, and as opening up a new pathway of wealth. power, and progress, and that by another Neilson the fleets and commerce of your noble city will be once more wet. come visitors throughout all our borders. For the sake of the bleeding and desolated South-- to shorten this terrible war—to restore order and quiet in the land, and to uphold our noble national edifice, I would implore you, and all Union men. to speak no word of peace to my Southern brethren save that which thunders from the mouth of every cannon, or flashes from the point of every gleaming sword. I say this because I know their leaders will Bever permit them to yield until their armies are dispersed In deadly conflict. Your obedient servant, E. W. GA NTT. itir. Gantt was then called for by the audience. who was introduced as a recent general in the rebel army, but now an earnest advocate of the. Union canes. Re was received with cheers, andasked to Me excused from making a speech. But he briefly referred to his connection With the Southern army, his birth in the slave States, his feelings and sympathies with those among whom he. had lived all his days. But gradually the impossibility of succeding in their struggle forced itself upon bim, and be tried to be agent, to occupy some obscure place, and let the great march events roll on and work out the destiny of the country. But, after a short time, he felt theet such a course would be unmanly ; it would oe cowardly to leave the masses of his fellow citizens to suffer and fall under the terrible despotism of Jeff Davis. He accordingly wrote the appeal which had been so extensively published in the North, and he was managed it would work goad results in the South. Re war determined, regardless of danger, to pursue the Minnie he bad marked out for himself. Re had been charged with ambition faroffice, and that his present course was for the purpose of securing official dia. tinotioe, but he disclaimed any such idea he wanted no office, snd would receive none. He then presented a hasty sketch of the relations between the North and South, admitting that the elaveholding States had sought the extension or slavery, and when the North sought to circumscribe it they determined to set up a government of their Own. When the war broke out they flattered them selves that they could keep it up longer than the Nor , h, because their slaves could keep their armies and families supplied with the necessaries of life, while the North bad no such advantage. But the proclamation of emancipation came out, and it was destroying all their calculations. In conclusion, the speaker inquired : What is the philosophy of all this struggle as seen in the results now developed/ It is, he answered, that God Almighty intended that negro slavery should be de. strayed, and it is being destroyed. This solemn conviction of a recent advocate of slavery, who had but just came out of the armies fighting to sustain it, roused the enthusiasm of the audi ence to an unwonted degree, and they cheered and cheered again. lie contended that this was a great national struggle to throw from itself a foreign ele. merit, as the body in disease throws of the impuri ties of the system. lie bad no doubt it" would sue-. coed, and the nation in the future be mote home. geneous sr d prosperous than ever before. An Appeal from Wm. Cornell Jewett. Naw Yourc, January 6th, 1864, To (he Editor of The Press: Sin : I ask for my country the publication of my appeal herewith to the American people and to the Church universal, In which I urge a conoentratioa of efforts to restore American peace, upon a basis oC the reestablishment of the Union, through an in. partial tribunal, agreed upon by commissioners front both the North and South, and the decision of which tribunal to prove a solution of the position of Eu rope and the world towards the South and the National or Federal Government, as well as to establish as just or unjust, the position of the South towards the North for independence, and the pod tion of the North towards the South for allegiance to the Union and the freedom of the slave, thereby basis secured for an honorale peace in accordance with the judgment of the civilized world. s. WK. CORNELL. JEWETT. A national appeal io the American people and the Church universal, urging an Independent Peoples Convention, tor, first, an entreaty to the South to meet the North in council for deliberation • second ly, an appeal to the Northern people, shoZving the necessity of uniting with the Administration and in creasing the forces, for a euccessful proeecution of the war, should the South refuse such offer; thirdly, to unite upon a people's candidate for the Preal. dency ; finally, urges the power of the Cauroh to induce the people, Congress, and Government, to maintain liberty, and secure a peace through con ciliation rather than the sword. " Hcpa ie 111 e the wings of an angel. soaring lITA to Maven, and bears our prayers to the throne of. Clod. "Anlcreal la proper for religion but the zeal of the sword. Truth, like tbe dew of tleaven to retain its parity: must be deposited in a clean vessel." I use these expressive lines, first, to show the power of hope, accompanied with prayer, as efts. tual as the faith of a grain of mustard seed to remove mountains, and that yet peace may be restored to my now desolate and bleeding country, through the wisdom of deliberation ; secondly, to show the ma nliest duty of the Church to urge concillation in maintaining the American Union ; thirdly, to show the American people, 'lke the dew of heaven, to retain its forefatheripurity, requires a regenerated Republic. Pass over with me in solemn review the progress of nations from the creation. Do you discover a more elevated, transcendent, pure, and liberal form of Government than the American? Do you find a more desolate or more powerlets one from the now uruortunate civil u artDo you find a combination Of circumstances more clear, to show that unless avoided, it must result in the entire destruction of liberty upon the American continent, to the joy of monarchs. and the distress of humanity 1 Moat sin gular, h,o, the position of England in connection with this sad state of national matters, for, through an acknowledement of the independence of the early fathers, Engler's!, gave to nations and the world, the unexampled position of America, while in a refuter to join nations, in response to the invite tion of France, to urge and entreat a peace, and through her late refusal to join in a Congress of na• tions—in which was intended to bring the American question—she is not only responsible for the fearful slaughter of human beings since, but for the new sad position of America, and for European wars that may lolloW a nomacceptsnce of the most Liu. mane, most wise, and most timely effort of Nespolemn to secure general peace and a partial disarmament of nations. Oh, England, fearful indeed is your re sponsibility to future ages ! Remember, proud in deed is your position today before the world, and humbled my country, but, may not, will not, the day come when a just God will humble you In your seillahness, while he will exalt America in renewed. power? It is to you, American people, and to the Church universal. that I now appeal to sustain the Republic through timely and just action. Do you, the people, I say, think to what end is this war to come um. checked Rave you no duty I Have you no re. sponsibility I Will you heedlessly pursue your daily business, and not heed the war in your midst, threat ening the loss td your liberty, your wealth, your power, your national pride, amid future desolation ? I answer youhave a duty and responsibility to check this war, through, first, humane efforts, that failing, a powerful force. Your present position towards the South is uncompromising, without even thejus. iiticatiou of a knowledge that she refuses recognized otters to treat for a peace. Your present pm , Wien from a disunited North, is weak, and you must, for the safety of the Republic, first inaugu rate a conciliation policy •, that not heeded, a united North- must crush out the rebellion. To effect this, I, under a due sense of respond• bility to buniseity and to my country, do en. 'rein; for efforts so that the body of the people-. outside of politicians and party—may be repre. sleeted in an incependent people's Convention, for the avowed puipose of, first, appealing to the South to deliberate in council ; secondly, to unite with the Administration and increase the forces; thirdly, to select a Presidential candidate. Ijuetify Menne post. Son as but due to the large army now in the field, 00th North and South; thereby,if possible, peace establish ed and blood cease to flow. Further, an accept• once of so humane a position by the Southern people is their only hope, now that Europe will not at present mediate, and will under no circumstances recognize the South, being satisfied in doing so it would be declaration that the American nation had ceased to , exist—a precedent thereby for a portion of the pea , pie of any nation to rise up, and powerless to over. throw the Government in a successful revolution, claim independence ; finally, the impossibility of the South conquering a united North. Secondly, /heal the South not heed an Offer of the people to meet in council, the then responsibility to unite with the Administration and increase the forces, so that the American nation may be maintained, and the South conquered. Thirdly, the responsibility of the people to maintain, either in war or peace, the pure government given by our fathers, and with& has become corrupt through statesmen controlling for the last thirty years, and that this seismal government can alone be main• tained by a Presidential candidate direct from the ranks of the people, who will know no party, but alone his country, and who will eurround himself with a Cabinet of the Cincinnatus stamp. The distinguished French statesmen who of hoe addressed the Loyal National League of New York in vindication of Liberty, Union. and the freedom of the slaves, asks why, foc three years, so unheard. of, so desolating, and bloody a war has been permitted—l answer, to sweep from power. hoot influence, and t catter,. amid civil war, corrupt Statesmen Who, b o t h North and South, have been and are governed by self rather than patriotism. Note how,. one by one, the reallyr great American statesmen have p uled away. note the withdrawal of statesmen front the Italie of Con gress, note how their entire influence has passed away from the councils of the North, with not due today in whom the people have confidence, or would elevate to power. With this state of things, in con. nection with the war, is the pa p a oppor time, yea, the obligation of the people to rise nd raise to power a new order of statesmen to control a regene rated republic. To you, the representatives of the Churc upon earth, who are responsible to the beat of your ability to secure man's salvation, I appeal for your power. Jul influence to secure peace. While your duty is Manifest to urge the mediation of our Saviour for man's eternal welfare, I hold it equally to be your outy, from the command to seek peace and cod will among men, to secure man's temporal welfare- amid that peace and happiness which is a type of the promise ;beyond. I have made three indepen. cent peace missions to Europe, with a piety to international action to induce a speedy pease. My first mission resulted in the inauguration of me• oiation by France. Illy second, through the Co. operation of Ring LeOpfed, in the entire favor of Governments to a friendly invitation to America to cease the strife for arbitration, both. however, the mediation position of Friona and the subsequent favor; of continental governments, was ineffectual, from the determined inactive position of England. lily third trip witnessed a Congress [dna. tions propoaition by Napoleon for general peace— time mediation for nations as wee as America, to which England was likewise Unfavorable. In this state of things, on the 6th of December last, I made an appeal through the Liverpool journals to the Pepe of Rome to urge the Church universal to join in efforts for American peace and for the Ms cess of the congress of nations. Thus Slot was fol lowed immediately by a delegation of workingmen of Er gland proposing a mediation society for the purpose of a memorial of 100,000 signature, of the working classes to induce England to yield to the desire of nations for friendly efforts to secure Ame rican peace. The Subsequent reply of the Pone to Na)bleous favoring the Congress, insures Ids favor, while. therefore, the mediating position is moving in Eve rope, through Governmnts being interested in a peace, and desirous to establish their position to America, I now do appeal to you, the representative+ of the Church upon the American Continent, to use your power to secure the action of the people, Con- Fess and Government, to a peace, through wile and just council. You cannot refuse thin, in view of your own posh }ion as reediatortito etnythewatfof the human raw. With the mighty GOd, from the natural propeutti of the heart to evil, rather thangood. • WM, CORNELL Jawttt,