4i it ttE fag; Plimmois Beiekprpoollftita . imitro , " Akismi OM Norkik—tWilki ItiaWend; al. Femme Morilps, via itz4lololo4 December 13. - - The Sorfolk Thif Book has dates from - Pensacola to December B. There had been no further fighting, but Bragg was hour rmrewal of the attack rom ellP rnickens. The Federal . :rots were flitting in anti out of the it: a *eat bewildering manner to the rebels. At times there wbuld be a Olen in•dming the evening; and all but twe• disappear before The Norfolk Day Book is consider ably excited in relation to a rumor that Norfolk is to be attacked, and ,that additional obstructions i i4 / I =d at the entrance of the har bor. If not done by the military authorities, it urges that the city Ceieseils . attend to it. At 'Biel - mond, on Wednesday, the Wow excitement was at its height, a stona‘of war being expected to burst *Elementarily somewhere. 'The Pleputch lies among its tele ran:is 'the following seizure of a rner, under the title of "Boldnets e_Hessians:" "Augusta, Dec 10. Charleston Courier says that gotbil.sincoln fleet seized a schooner •tuallkurdity, and that a steamer was jeep missing on Monday with a float :tug. battery or deck in tow." The Norfolk Day Book speaks of lle:ittiPortant arrest there of a num --%r Crabtree ' whb were niaking their *_ ,the North. They had $l5OO p , 1144 i tuttathem. An • • WM before i„ Mayor, - prudential reasolit the report lit Is .withheld. iliototi to. Oommenoe With. Dee}i itch from Louisville state Wit yesterday afternoon four corn „pasties of Willich's German Indiana regiment were attacked on the south side of Green river, opposite Munfords ville, by Col. Terry's regiment of ~'Tian Rangers, two regiments of in , *try and six pieces of artillery, Willich was reinforced and drove the bels back, with a loss of thirty ,tbree killed, including Colonel Terry And fifty wounded. The Federal loss ,was eight privates and a lieuteant and sixteen wounded. The Democrat has advices that the Federal troops have been crossing Green river with great rapidity. The Dem ocrat has also a business letter, dated .hkaaereet, Monday, which mentions „pasagsgeinent in the vicinity.. The Twelfth Kentucky regiment, Colonel Hoskinson ' is entrenched two miles _smith of Somerset. 4 r tin divisions of Generals McCook, ,Johnson, Wood and Rousseau rested .ott the Northern bank of Green river era Sunday. A letter from Lebanon the 17th, says Thomas' division is ninticiNg . prepartions, and will .I f etigite Rsi a few days. There are ruiriors about the inovement of the enemy below, but there is nothing reliable,. :Nelson's division endamp md on Mophirough's Hill, on the old Nashville road, on Sunday, in fine order and spirits. .4 ovate letter dated Somerset, tiestdity ,night, reports the capture of Os negro servant of a rebel officer, as be was *King provisions to the rebel pickets. He ss that Bollicoffer has 6,000 this si de, and 2,000 on the other side, and are fortifying both Sides of the river with the purpose of "In tering. one Hundred Houses Burned. We have received, says the Boston , Trave4ler, an interesting letter from our spwial correspondent with the *tiny *e West. A terrible and devastating guerilla, warfare has com r*aced in that portion of Missouri .'ning Kansas. Col. Jennison, sta . near Fort IN.;tependence, hay nk teceived >}otr i to the procla mation calling Upon" the secessionists to take the oath of allegiance, sent detachments of troops in every direc :Op, and the houses of one hundred rebels were burnt. In one skirmish a rebel named Fitzpatrick was cap tured, Vied and shot. The reasons gi'ven ;or this by Colonel Jennison -were that Fitzpatrick had killed * Federal officer, whose arms were found upon him, and that he had shot a Methodist preacher, while stand ing over him. The rebel died game shouting for " Jeff. Davis arid the 4th," as he fell pierced with the ,Ofthe soldiers. Prigiating‘er Us in South Oarslira. A letter tat received from Port ;Royal states that extensive prepara tions are making by the rebels in South Carolina to oppose any advance *amity be made into the interior by'tbs *&ral forces. General Lee *known to be in command of the de pounent of South Carolina, and to iissee at his disposal at least sixteen danssand men. Of these, about eight thaiisan nre believed to be stationed allehartbsboa, and nearly four thou sand at. Savannah. Fort Pulaski has received an addition to her armament pinkie the arrival of our troops, and Jeanie) various field works have j)ssim abandoned, and the entire sea )nsend, from .. hee to St. Helena duetted, there is a strong probabilitY that every onward step c#fahowlierael troops require Oa WWI& In insee. Beconnoissa - nces Asre making in every direction; by kiensmal orders; both by ;pad ape voratdioltlie fortifications at Wad have been grearly Z*oo* new entrenchments of mile in length created, and nsents of troops were expect- 1 iv a 1 of two lagliali itfasners-41fighly can pre:: ,a reaction Set in, and fears 1 Loperisall boa Eingpe--logisad Taking *ere w.< -' ' Volinillti Washing ' Adessagi of Our Diffieullisa to Plea a ton •- a t aforild justify the Ifl- ,:. . .... . ... & sure %, .. n allad Slidell. The .a rt i. v t. t u s gjob t arnata ~ . ailla Ail bitter and ' alter vjaglyeedaetaia t ow ns : ,ho •e .. ntiasing to treat the affair tkiien;- ' • aq, till the 2d, *bring ,as an inablerable insult. The instruc tiett ha. i ant dispatches, And a tions tea Lord Lyons, on which the Queen's 0 essage, with dispatches to Cabinet was unanimous, are explicit Lord Lyons. The Observer of Dec. and determined. The London Post Ist states that the Government has , says that an acknowledgement of the demanded from President Lincoln aad / error and a surrender of the prison !his Cabinet, the persons of the South-1 drs will be received with great joy, butif the Federal Government fails i ern envoys to the British Govern- i to comply, no man in England will ment. Yesterday afternoon, after i five o'clock, p. m., Her Majesty held blind his eyes to do the her alternative that England must duty. a Privy Council at. Windsor. Castle.— Three of her Ministers, inchiding the The Mephistopheles Times Lies, and flit Lord df the Adrairalty . and the 4aids England to taierove her oapora - Secretaries df State and War, travel- I Unita. ed from Louden to Windaor by spe- I The London Times continues to as cial train to be, present. Previous to Bert that it has been Mr. Seward's leaving town, the three Ministers, had policy to force a quarrel with Eng attended it Cabinet Council at 'Lord land, and calls for , energetic military Palmerston's official residente. preparations in Canada. A serious The ObSOrver also says that a spe- decline is daily taking place hi Cana cial messenger of the Foreign Office dian securities, amounting to twelve has been Ordered to ditrry td Wash- per cent. The London Times pre ington the demande of the British diets three thinii to follow an out- Government for Lord Lyons, and break with the United States, name will proceed to-clay by packet from ly; the destruction of the Southern Queenstown. Thepublic will he sat- bldeltade; the complete blockade of isfied to know that these demands the Northern ports, and the recogni are for an apology, and to insist dntion of the Southern Confederacy by the restoration to the protection df France and England. The Daily the British flag, the persons of those News says that the American Con who were violently and illegallY torn gress meets before the English de from that sacred aSylurri. The Ob- wands can get out, and hopes that it server adds : There lAtio reason why will act with honor and dignity and they should not ,be restored to the that the golden opportunity will not quarter deck Of the British Admiral be lost. at New York or Washington itself, A large number of' naval vessels in the Thee of some ten or twelve are ordered to be ready for immedi- Olen of war whose presence in the ate commission. The transport Mel- Potomac would render the blustering bourne was to leave Woolwich Ar- Cabinet at Washington as helpless as senal on the sth, for Halifax, with the Trent was 'before the guns and 30,000 stand of arms, large quantities cutlaseas of the San Jacinto. It is of ammunition and Armstrong g uns. na &lilt of ours if it should come to She will will be convoyed by th Or this. The arrangements for increas- pheus of twenty-one guns. The iron ing the force in Canada are not yet plated steamer Warrior is to be ready complete, but in a very few hours ev- for foreign service immediately, and erything will be settled. In the her destination will depend on the meantime, a large ship of the Mel- answer from Washington. The ship bourne line has been taken up, and ment of rifles from England for New is now being loaded with Armstrong York continues. guns, some 30,000 Enfield rifles, am- Appearances indicate that the munition and other stores, at Wool- French papers have been instructed wish. It is not impossible that this to write in an anti-American tone.— vessel will be escorted by one or two The Patrie argues pretty clearly that ships of war. The rifles are intended France will side with England, rec for the Canadian military, and a ognize the South, and take a decided strong reinforcement of field art ery attitude in the international question. Will be dispatched forthwith. Iv • The Liverpool Post gives a rumor The Times Thlults War will Pay. that Napolcan had been proposed as The Times' city article of the 30th the arbiter of the question. The says the position of the Federal Americans in - Paris paid a compli- States of' America is almost in every mentary bisit'to Gen. Scott, Mr. Day commercial point with that Which ton acting as chairman. was occupied by us tbward Russia before the Crimean war. Russia had - a hostile tariff, while we looked to her for a large portion of our gener al supply of breadstuffs. But there is this particularly in our present case, that the commencement would be the breaking up of the blockade of the Southern ports, at once setting free our industry from the anxiety of a cotton famine, and bring sure pros perity to Lancastershire through the winter. At the same time we shall open our trade to eight millions in the Confederate States who may de sire nothing better than to be our cus tomers. At the Privy Council on Saturday, an order was issued prohibiting the export from the United Kingdom, or carrying coastwise, gunpowder, saltpetre, nitrate of soda and brim stone. The Times has no hope that the Federal government will comply with the demand of England. The Morning Star declares that the statement of instructions having been sent to Lord Lyons, to obtain restitution of the Confederate com missioners, or to take leave of Wash ington, was premature, and so exag gera';ed as to be virtually untrue. The Liverpool Courier believes that the Warrior has been ordered to An napolis with the ultimatum of the government. The London Times, al luding to the decision of the British Cabinet, that the arrest of Mason and Slidell is a clear violation of the law of nations, believes that Lord Lyons will be instructed by the first steamer to demand reparation, and if not complied with will to instructed to withdraw the legation from Wash ington. A atm Later Arrival—The Aspect Even More Hostile. The City . of Washington passed Cape Race yesterday morning with English dates by telegraph to the sth. Thee/lip Lady Franklin, from London for New York, put into Plymouth on the 3d inst. She took fire the same night an 4 as scuttled to extinguish the flames. Some Southerners ship / ped among the crew are suspected of firing her: The steamer Australasian I has been chartered to convey troops / and a battery of artillery, and is to i sail on the 12th. The San Jacinto !manopolizes the attention of the press, which denounced it in strong [ terms, and active naval preparations I are msking. The latest by telegraph to Queenstown, to the sth irist., says the excitement is unabated. The Paris Temps says that Napo ' lean has tendered his services, as a Mediator. At the banquet at Rock , dale, Mr. Bright made an elaborate speech 'on American affairs, but de clined to give a decided opinion in the Trent affair. He believed that if illegal, the United States will make 1 fitting reparation. ale strongly con- . OW Army in Virginia. dunned any warlike feeling, and INDIANAPOLIS, December 16.—Our scouted the idea that the American I Cabinet had resolved to pick a q _ i army in Kentucky is within a short distance of Bowling -Green. They see with England, and made a bril-I liant peroration in favor of the I have repaired the Green river bridge, North. At letter from4General Scott, , and will move forward as soon as in favor of the maintenance of friend- , Gen. Buell can brigade and otherwise ly relation between Englaad and i dispose of the large number of reg l . i- America, attracted much attention. ments now arriving . When this is ' The export of arms, ammunition 'sad ; done he, will take command and push lead to America is prohibited. The lls rward 'to ,Nashville. 1 Elsie Petrie r es antodit 1 The Forty-Sixth, Fiftieth, Thir- , •24. eel- owimg the duayesition of illasease to ' typitti, - Forty-First and Fifty-First, t was ,to ' . the Southern . Ceathoter- ;Jost* le ft 'fbli• Kentucky making ten 1 Isla a c s, 0 , ' ampuma l e exam p l e. : Airottliod nien *Cm I n di ana in tea . . . Inas _.l V4sm. , - . Agave. • oiled the,* : , dity. • • j • , rit a rlia a iWM a RearaliOrafril look, muulsosoras4 -Sixtoyanisi ) , regimen tai late 4-iismoldightly-impromiftliwat 441 piAilta in-lOnieelty . WWI.* v'ty,, Pir Two** 41 1 034weattiteritVillerl ty 4igewit ,;) 5,,, , .., 'Ai 04 • 1204.4 • . _ The Victory at Oheat Mountain--A very Successful and Decisive Engagement., CINCINNATI, December 16:—A dis patch from Phillippi says that our force at the late battle at "Alleghe ny Camp," Cheat Mountain, number ed eighteen hundred. They came in sight of the enemy, drawn up in line of battle in front of their entrench ments. They charged .upon them and drove them back. A hot fire was kept up during the whole afternoon on both sides, and several .brilliant charges were made by our men. General Milroy withdrew at night fall, fully intending to renew the at tack the next morning. During the night, howei , er, the rebels silently left their camp, burning everything they could not carry with them. Our loss was twenty killed and thirty wounded. The rebel loss was one hundred and fifty killed, includ ing one field officer. By this action General nunolcite front is completely cleared of the enemy, there being no organized rebel force within forty miles of our advanced posts. A detachment which was sent from Phillippi on Saturday returned last night with ten rebel guerillas, includ ing the notorious Take Kern. A Sharp Battle and Naomi Victory in Western Virginia--The Eenemy in Fall Retreat. CINCINNATI, Decemberl4.—A spe mal dispatch from Cheat Mountain to the Cincinnati Commercial says : On yesterday one of the hardest and best-fought battles of the war was fought at Allegheny Camp, Pocahon tas county, Va., General R. H. Mil roy commanding the Union troops, and General Johnson, of Georgia, commanding the rebels. The fight lasted from daylight till three P. M. The Union loss was about thirty ; rebel loss over two hundred, includ ing a major and many other officers, and thirty prisoners. General John son was shot in the mouth, but not fatally. The Twelfth Georgia regi ment suffered most. Milroy's force numbered seven hundred and fifty men, from the Ninth and Thirteenth Indiana, Twenty-fifth and Twenty-third Ohio, and Second Virginia. Johnson's force numbered over two thousand. The Ninth Indiana fought bravely to the last. After driving the enemy into their barracks no less than five times, our threes retired in good order.— The rebels set fire to their camp, and retreated to Staunton. Gen.,Milroy has driven the last army out of Wes tern Virginia. is.ooidenteo.lien. illumner—The (Wed= Conflagration and Man Inearona, P: ILADELPH. , Dec. l6.--Opeeials ~,, ~ . . to 4 , ia, ' fatariCtnApihattenee, I ash . :ti e illelft,entit news fr*i . ~. glan . by tlib Enrol* waa sea to several' . members of the Cab in* to:ight . . 'lt created some ex elle'raent, but no uneasiness or ap prehension. It, is thought to stand in need of confirmation,. Com. Wilkes arrived last night at his house', formerly occupied by Gen. Mepleklan! In response 4,6 a sere; nadeOle tiOestly said that a man vihO had merely done his duty did not deserve.an ovation. Gen. Sumner was thrown.from his horse iftis Morning while he was re -Viewing his troops. A rib was bro ken and other injuries suffered, but a telegram to General McClellan sta tes that he is better, and will be able id resume his command shortly. . Specials to to-day's Heralds say that the Europa's dispatches elicited a lively discussion here, but seem not to disturb the Government, 1 which, while desiring no embarrass ment with England, looks with com posure and confidence on events as they occur. The intelligence of the burning of Charleston, probably the incendiar ism of negroes, and the attendant rumors of a slave insurrection, have I reminded parties here of the prophe cy of a distinguished military officer, 1 that the war would be virtually end ; ed by a general insurrection of the 1 slaves in the South before the middle of January. During his command of the South ern post he was induced to examine the history of slave insurrections, and deduced from it the conclusion that there - would be a terrible one in the Southern States either during or I immediately subsequent to the Christ- I mas holidays. The existing circum ; stances attach great probability to 1 this prediction. Late Kentucky Advices--Battle Anticipa ted--Secessianists Jubilant--Reported At tack on New Orleans, &c. CINCINNATI, Dec. 17.—The mails from Somerset which failed Monday came to hand to-days Gen. Buell is expected to take the field in person in a few days. It is reported that our troops are crossing Green River, and that Gen. Buckner is coming up the railroad to offer battle on this side of Bowling Green. In the Kentucky Legislature sev eral members made elaborate speech es in favor of the Union. The Secessionists are jubilant over the prospects of a war with England, while the Union men come square to the mark, and demand war before one word of apology. A grand review and inspection of seventeen thousand troops, from Cai ro, Bird's Point and Fort Holt, took place yesterday. Four regiments of infantry and three gunboats have been sent from Columbus, Kentucky, to New Olt leans,where a battle was being fought, and the city threatened with demol ition by our forces. The inhabitants were fleeing from the city. The Documents from the State Department . The documents from the State De partment, submitted to Congress on Thursday, disclose the important fact that our Government now occu pies the position that it held in refer ence to foreign Governments at the beginning of the rebellion, and that though the United States early offer ed to accept the Paris declaration in reference to privateering, both Eng land and France desired to make an exception in favor of the Jeff. Davis Canfederacy, to which the Govern ment has refused to yield, leaving the United States free from any ob ligation- to accept the Paris declara tion, while, the few rebel privateers are nowfugitives on the high seas, or are lying idle in Southern harbors. A resume of the documents shows the followincr /7 to be our relations with for eign nations : England entertains, or at least ex presses, no sympathy for us, but rath er the reverse. Prance has not been cordial, but has been lege offensive than England. Austrid has been friendly, and from the Outset has declared that she would not recognize the rebel Con federacy. Prussia and all the Gefrutin States have been equally cordial. - Russia has been friendly, but anx ious for the war to end. Sweden and Norway have been friendly from the beginning. Belgium is yet undecided, but re mains passive. Holland is disposed to follow the lead of England at a respectful dis tance. Italy is full of warm *sympathy for our Government, and for freedom. Spain, though not aggressive, has an evident leaning toward the Jeff. Davis Republic. Denmark is friendly. The Pope, though be announces that his Government is not of this world, but that he is concerned with spiritual thine, yet, if he were to ex press an opinion he, as a good Chris tian, will alwaysbe on the side of law and order. MAJOR SLEMJ&RR'S HEALTH-A cor respondent of a cotemporary writing from Grafton say_s : "I am sorry to in form you that Major Slemmer is not expected to live. He came down from the mountains to this place yes terday with his wife. They are stay ing at the Grafton House. He came here to inspect the troops some five weeks ago, and got as far as Beverly when he took sick." Gen. LARIMMR. J) Arse ron MAY oa.—"We learn by s Weaken paper that' at the foot charter election at Deaver City the entire Deotooratie ticket wae eked. Mr. Coek,,Dereo cent, beat can tanner fellow4itieen i Gen. -Wee.. Joembeter; Sepublibewfbr. 0 11 1 1 11, , -Wk. en** eiolif :wet e ,tma) tt ArrivalokheAbluar Sam--The War Pre ;tuatara in England. PORTLAND, Deceml;er steamerdurwarrivedfieie tlds morn. 'og from Liverpool with date* to the sth, and Londonderry to the 6th in %taut. Warlike preparations continue in England, and a considerable - number of troops are under orders for Can ada. The London Daily News thinks that if the American GovAnment will treat the difficulty in the same spirit as Gen.. Scott, war may be avoided. The seamen on leave, are ordered to join their ships. It is reported that Mr. Adams, the American Minister, regarded his re call as inevitable. The American shipping interest waF b already disastrously affected. The Steamships Edinburg and No va Scotian arrived out on the 6th inst. GREAT BRITAIN.—The excitement relative to the Trent affair continues unabated. The stocl market on the fourth was more heavy and unsettled than ever. The strength of the American Na vy is being canvassed in England.— The London Times says that "al though the whole Federal Navy scarcely presents a dozen worthy an tagonists, yet it would be imprudent in the extreme to despise the power of the Americans at sea. We have done this once and paid the cost of our thoughtlessness. The Americans will do little, but that little will be done well. They will give our heavy squadrons a wide berth, and concen trate their efforts on single vessels. Hostile demonstrations are being made in various parts of England to wards the United States ; one was made at Bristol on the occasion of the departure of an Armstrong bat tery for Canada. The Continental news is of slight importance. The Paris Bourse is firm. The Patrie says that the ar rest of the Maronite agent of France, in Lebanon, is an insult which the government must avenge. ITALY.—Garibaldi has arrived at Turin. In the Chamber of Duputies, M.latazzi explained the failure of negotiations relative to Rome, saying that he was convinced that the French government wished to ter minate its occupation, and was the sincere friend of Italy. The U. S. Consul at Paris had communicated to the French papers a letter from Gen. Scott, _in Which be declares that there is no truth in the report that the Washington Cabinet had ordered the seizure of the Southern Commissioners, even un der the protection of a neutral flag. He is quite ignorant of what will be the decision of his Government, but says that it is necessary to preserve the good relations between England and America. He hopes that the Governments will agree on a solution of the question, - whether the pris oners were contraband or not. If they were the agents of the rebels he says it will be difficult to convince even impartial minds that they were less contraband of war than rebel soldiers or cannon. In conclusion, Gen. Scott expresses his conviction that war between England and Amer ica cannot take place without a more serious provacation than is at present given. The London Times says that General Scott, like his countrymen, is rather inclined to disavow the con ception of the outrage than to repu diate it, now that it has been done. It is reported that rebel and feder al privateers are cruising at the en trance of the English Channel. It is said that the Admirality has ordered two ships to proceed immediately to the West Indies, to act as a convoy to the West India mail steamer. The Paris correspondent of the Daily News says that Mr. Slidell's dis patches were entrusted to his wife as be was leaving the steamer Trent. FRANCE.—The Paris Patrie learns that in November the San Jacinto searched a French, a Danish and a Portuguese vessel. These facts, says the Patrie, are important as proving that the Washington Cabinet fancies that it has the power to exer cise the right of search to the full ex tent. Speculations from France rep resent the predominant tone as being favorable to the reconciliation of Bngland and America. It is report ed that the French Minister at Washington has reported to his Gov ernment a refusal on the part of the Washington Cabinet to deliver up dispatches addressed from Paris to the French Consuls at New Orleans and Charleston. LATEST VIA LONDONDERY.."-The iron clad frigate Warrior is coaling for service on the North American coast. There was quite a rise on Thurs day in saltpetre. No charters are now being taken for American vessels, and there is nothing doing in passengers or car goes. Several of the papers have leaders on Mr. Bright's speech. The London Tfmes says: "Let America judge by the speech of her greatest admirer how little can be said of her outrage upon a friendly, though neutral coun try. Let her also know that even this comparatively moderate speech - was but a voice with an echo." The tone of reserve on the part of the French press increases. Several of the leading Paris papers blame the English Government for having yield ed to the pressure of public opinion, as represented merely by Manchester and LiVerpooi, and having acted too 'lastly in the Trent affair. itowrunk, in his recent speech at Cinbinnuti, stated that Floyd escaped boom* orders were not obeyed. Gen. limbs= under stands this; he is now in Washington, demanding s Court of In4luiry, Which weber l .l lo ,Wg 1 tipatim' 4" 11114163 11iC43414114.0 The Charleston Conflagration. BY this morning's telegrams it will be seen that the destructive confla- Illation - which burst out in the doom= ed city of Charleston on Wednesday morning at nine o'clock, was still rag ing at live P. I. on Thursday, after i having laid in ashes all the most beautiful and valuable portion of the city. The Captain of the Illinois says that even at ten o'clock Thurs day night, when he passed within six miles of the harbor, the fire was Edit at its height, lighting up the 1 ocean for miles. The fire commen- ) ced at the foot of Hazel street, on the Cooper river, and extended down to, and even beyond, Broad street.— It will scarcely cease until it sweeps off everything that will burn, down to the very junction of the Ashley' and Cooper rivers. The part burn ed is the largest, the oldest, most beautiful, and most densly populated half of the city, containing almost all the public buildings, stores, ware houses and wharves. The loss will be almost incalculable, certainly amounting to from five to ten mil- lions. It is a blow which Charleston, in her already crippled and embar rassed condition, can never recover from. Far be it from us to take pleasure in any such terrible and wide-spread ruin, but we must say, in all candor, that no city on this continent so richly deserved such a fate, and that no city will obtain less sympathy, either North or South.— She has cost the nation a billion of money and thousands of lives, and it is some small punishment that she should have incurred the fate which she has abundantly earned. We pity her deluded poor. The Charleston Conflagration. WASHINUTON, December 16.—The following are the complete dispatch es published by the Norfolk Day Book on Friday last : BRANCHVILLE, S. C., six miles from Charleston, Dee. 12.—Passengers who have just arrived here report a destructive fire last night at Charles ton. The fire commenced iu Charles ton last night, December 11th, at nine o'clock, in Ruzel & Co's sash fac tory, at the foot of Hazel street, and communicated to the opposite side of Hazel to Cameron & Co's machine shops. Under the impulse thus giv en and a stiff breeze, with a small supply of water, the conflagration assumed a Nrmidable character, nearly equalling the most extensive conflagration on the American con tinent. The theatre ; Floyd's coach factory (opposite the express office,) the old executiVe building, and all the houses between thatpoint and Queen street are burned. The whole of one side of Broad street is destroy ed, from Col. Gadsden's residence to Massaic street. A considerable por tion of the city from East Bay to King street is destroyed. Among the prominent bitildings burned are the, Institute and St. An drews' Halls, Theatre, Catholic Cath edral, and the Circular Church. At last accounts from Charleston ; np to five o'clock this morning, Dec. 12th, the fire had crossed Broad street, and was sweeping furiously on, The telegraph lines to Charleston are down, consequently we are not able to state whether the fire has ceased • or not,. BRA NtirvlLLE, becernber 12th, 5 P. M.—The fire is still ragiug. A thou sand houseless persons are huddled in the streets. The express train left Augusta this afternoon with pro visions to supply the wants of the sufferers, and men to assist in con trolling the fire. The fire was the work of an incendiary. Further Particulars of the Conflagration at Charleston. FORTRESS MONROE, December 16. Captain Millward went down to Craney Island to-day with a flag of truce, and was met by Lieutenant Smith, off the Island. No passengers came down. The Norfolk. and Richmond papers give full particulars of the conflagra tion in Charleston, S. C. The fire broke out at about nine o'clock in the evening of the 11th, in -sussell & Old's sash and blind factory, at the foot of Hazel street; crossing Hazel street it extended to the machine shop of Cameron & Co. Before mid night, the fire had assumed an appall ing magnitude, and Meeting street, from Market to Queen, was one vast sheet of flame. As tenement after tenement was enveloped in flames, the panic was awful, and thousands of families evacuated their houses and filled the street. The buildings in the lower part of the city where the fire broke out, were principally of wood, and ex tremely inflammable, which accounts far the remarkable rapid progress of the fire . At midnight the Circular Church and the Institute Hall were burning, and the proximity of ti .e flames to the Charleston Hotel and the Mills House, caused them to be evacuated by their inmates. At one o'clock the fire tended more South ward, towards the corner of Arch dale and Queen streets, to rear of the Charleston Hotel, and to the end of Rayne street range. Crossing Mar ket street the fire spread down East Bay to Cumberland street, and across to the Mills House, including in its destruction Circular Church, Institute Hall and the Charleston Hall. All the buildings on King, from Clifford nearly to Broad street were destroyed before three o'clock. Gen. Ripley, who superintended the movements ofthe troops, whohad ar rived at the scene at about this time , ordered several buildings on theroute of the conflagration to be blown op, and after some delay the order Was executed, but not before the theatre, Lloyd's coach factory. op ' the express office, the oh*. • e building and all the homes from thi§ poink te Quee4 had csught fire an d - At about. four 'dock AO win. O wed the direc ► - A 5,0 teliaids• Bleed ( street.. Soon after St. Andrew'S Hall took fire, and•subsequently the cathedral, the spire of which fell shortly after five o'clock The fire made a clear sweep through the city, making its track from East Bay to 1 King street. The Charleston Courier of the 13th gives a list of between two and three I hundred sufferers, and says that the loss is estimated at from five to seven millions of dollars. Mr. Russell, at. whose factory the . fire, originated, I thinks that it must have been occas ioned by an incendiary or by the negligence of the negroes employed' there. A dispatch from Charleston dated 13th says : The Mills House, al though threatened and several times on fire, eventually escaped and is on ly slightly damaged. - Five churches were destroyed by the fire, the Cith edral, St. Peter's Episcopal, Cumber land street Methodist and Circular . Church. The Charleston Mercury says that five hundred and seventy six buildings were burnt. A message was sent to the Confed erate Congress on Friday by Presi dent Davis, in relation to the confla gration at Charleston, recommend ing an appropriation • in. aid of the sufferers. A resolution was accord ingly unanimously adopted appropri ating two hundred and fifty thou sand dollars as in advance on ac count of claims of South Carolina upon the Confederate States. The Lynchburgh Virginian, of Fri day, says that a Maryland regiment had deserted from Lincoln's army, with their arms and equipments.— It was sent out as a picket guard from Alexandria, and when it reach ed the front of our lines it hoisted the Confererate flag and marched in to Centreville. aeeompanied by the Colonel and all the other officers. The Charleston CO ea, of Friday, has a report from Beaufort, stains. that the Yankees had advanced their position to near Port Royal Ferry on Tuesday, and crossed the Pow an der cover of the artillery to the main laud, and destroyed several Confed erate rifle pits. The Richmond Examiner says that the Cuurt Commissioners, to deter mine the claims for indemnity for loss es by the war, is to be organized at once. The President has appointed, and Congress in secret session has confirmed, the following gentlemen as the Commissioners : George P. Scarborough, of Virginia Thomas C. Reynolds, of Missouri, and Walter Brooke, of Mississippi. The Richmond _Enquirer. of the 15th, acknowledges the receipt of the balance of clothing from Massa chusetts for the prisoners of war.— It is consigned to Gen. C. Winder, and will be distributed by Lieuten ant Pierson, ofthe Twentieth Massa chusetts Regiment, who was taken prisoner at Leesburg. The Norfolk Day Book was printed on a small half sheet.. It is to be raised in price on Thursday, to Ave cents. Gen. Brown's Official Report--Hie Gonda sions from the Fight--Reform in Oolonel Bzipe's Regiment--An Intended Rebel Adva,aee, WASH/NOTON, December 14.—The official report ofGeueral Brown about the Pickens fight has been received. It confirms it as an undoubted victo ry for the Union. Fort Pickens remains entirely un injured. Fort Mcßae was sadly shat tered by our fire, and the town of Warrington and part of the Pensaco la Navy Yard. were burned. Only six men in Fort Pickens were hurt. General Brown has suggested, in his report, several points gathered from his experience in this action.— One is that James' rifle projectiles are comparatively useless. That the Parrott gun is much preferable, and that if he had the latter piece at the fort, he would have utterly deMolish ed the enemy. He further says that gunboats drarving only six feet of water, amid armed with rifled guns, can do more service in these waters than a forty gun ship or such vessels as the Niag ara and the Richmond. Sailing vessels he declares utterly worthless in enforcing a blockade:— The conduct of our soldiers and sail ors during the two days' hard firing receives the warmest encomiums of Gen. Brown. Yesterday the negro and white man, of Frederick, who had been selling liquor to the soldiers of the •Forty-Sixth Pennsylvania, each re ceived twenty lashes in the presence of the regiment. The results of this punishment were apparent at even ing parade where nine hundred men appeared, instead of seven hundred, as on Wednesday. Scouts have noticed recently a marked increase in the number Of tents in the rebel Potomac army, which confirms the intelligence that it has been largely reinforced. A prisoner says that the rebel Generals had determined to advance from Centreville, in three columns in all, seventy-five thousand men to at tack our advance, which they ex pected to find off guard, and adds that four days rations had already been given out to the troops. Latest from England. NEW YORK, Dec. 18.—The Evening Post learns from commercial letters of the highest character from London that the British government propos es to seek explanation of Ow Trent affair, and perhaps on apology will be asked for, an irregular troceeding, but no mention is made oe a demand for the surrender of the reholltoisork ere. The English write* thees/ letters hope that the mlO4 Will lot treated by Too 'Toil* returnee and & kindly spirit. corraspzedeast of tip BietWirpoitch, writ**, on the _ ' was then evident that Generallifoo.lkaol sboadatit ed fill idea of a