BY S.X BOW.
CLEAEFIELD, PA., WEDNESDAY, JULY 27, 1864.
YOL. 10.-NO. 48.
tcct poetry.
THE BATTLE-CEY OF IEEEDOM.
Tea, we'll rally round the flag, boys,
TV ell rally once again,
Shooting the battle-cry of Freedom :
We will rally from the hill-side,
We will rally from the plain,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
The Union forever! Hurrah, boys, hurrah !
Down with the Traitors, up with the Stars ;
While we rally round the flaj, boys.
K&Hy once again,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
"We are springing to the call
Of our brothers gone before,-
shouting the battle-cry of Freedom ;
And we'll fill the vacant ranks
With a million freemen more,.
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
The Union forever, ect.
We will welcome to our number
The loyal, true, and brave,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom ;
And although he inay be poor,
Jle shall never be a slave,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
The Union forever, etc.
We are springing to the call,
From the East and from the Wuat,
. Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom;
And we'll hurl the Kebel crew
From the land we love the best,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
The Union orever, etc.
AVe are marching to the field, boys,
Going to the fight,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom ;
And we'll bear the glorious Stars,
Of the Union and the Right,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
The Union forever, etc.
We'll meet the Kebel host, boys,
With fcarUss hearts and true,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom ;
And we'll show what Uncle Saw,
Has for loyal men to do,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
The Union forever, etc.
If we fall amid the fray, boys,
We will face them to the last.
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom ;
And our comrades brave shall hear us,
As we are rushing past,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
The Union forever, etc.
Yes, fer Liberty and Union,
We are springing to the fight,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom :
And the victory shall be ours,
Forever rising in our might,
Shouting the battle-cry of Freedom.
The Union forever, etc.
Commerce Speculation.
The Boston Traveler says there are about
one hundred and Jifty ships now in that
port, fbr which there is no business except
the coal trade ; that there are one hundred
vessels on their tvay to Boston from distant
foreign orts with large and valuable car
pies ; some of the articles are for the man
ufacturers, and are wanted ; others, such as
groceries, fruits and luxuries, are not want
ed, and will find a dull market. Says the
Ti acler : "Vast quantities of goods are
piled up in our warehouses, that will not be
Ranted this year, and if the holders wish to
realize, we advise them to ship them to Eu
rope and sell the exchange at present high
rates. We can tell them that there is going
t. be such a diminution in consumption as
this country never saw, and holders at pres
ent prices will have to look at their casks of
sugar, chests of tea, and bags of coffee, for
m tny a month before they see the pile di
minish much." The Traveler urges that
"the whole community must be determined
that prices shall come down"- "Let our
banks," suggests that journal, "refuse to
discount a note that will enable parties to
hold up still higher merchandise. By rig
i lly adopting this course, they will help the
whole community, and before the rigors of
another winter set in, we shall see many sta
ples at one half their present prices. There
i no lack of coffee, tea, sugar and molasses,
and many other foreign goods ; our impor
tations are much larger than usual, and nev
er was there such an abundance of all do
nicotic produce."
It is stated that there are at least seven
large manufacturers from Germany now in
New York preparing to enter largely into
the manufacture of fine woolen goods, such
as have heretofore been made exclusively in
(iennany. As these efforts to extend the
manufacture of fine goods in this country
are pushed forward, the demand for fine
wool will increase and the price improve ac
cordingly. Qualifications of Substitutes.
The uncertainty which the Provost Mar
tial General's office has thrown over the
subject of the eligibility of substitutes for
service in the army is being gradually re
moved. A few days since we noticed an
rder declaring that for persons not liable
to draft, who desire to present representa
tive substitutes, any one, whether liable to
the braft or not, would be accepted. A re
cent order defines the qualifications for sub
stitutes for drafted men or those who are
l'urnished in advance of the draft The
latter must not be liable to military duty,
and must make the oath that they are ex
fcmpt from the draft by reason of alienage,
or having served two years in the United
itates Army or Navy since April 15, 18G1.
In such cases certificates of exemption will
granted to the principal for three years by
Provost Marshal of the District in which he
resides, on receipt of the oath and enlist
ment paper of his substitute.
Death in a Eailroad Gar.
A young married lady traveling a few
days since from New York to Syracuse, and
suffering from consumption, had been laid
retul'.y on a pillow in the cars by her hus
band, while her little girl remained by her
s'le. At Little Fall she fell asleep, and the
child commenced fanning her, saying mam
IVa is sleeping. A passenger, however, no
ticed the peculiar whiteness of her lips, and
on lookiug closely at her, discovered that
the was dad.
From theLewisburg Chronicle of July 15th.
ALL THE AMENDMENTS.
Several of our exchanges have argued a
bly and repeatedly in favor of voting ' 'For
the Amendments." They allude to the first
proposes amendment to our State Consti
tution, confirming the right of the Soldiers
to vote. But there is much danger from
using that expression. There are three A
mendnients, to be voted upon seperately.
A vote "for the Amendment ' is no vote at
all it will be cast out, and not counted. If
you wish to aid Soldiers in the use of the
elective franchise, vote the "ticket headed
"First Amendment," and containing, with
in, the words "For the Amendment'
Ncr will voting "For the Amendments, j. in
a lump, apswer- each amendment must be
voted for or against, by itself, to have the
vote cast of any avail.
The First Amendment is for the Soldiers,
to be voted on accordingly; .
The Second and Third Amendments are
designed to aid in proper Legislation, to
prevent ambiguity and confusion, and check
the frauds and trickery practiced by some
men in and out of the Legislature. They
are therefore very important.
The Second Amendment is as follows i
"No bill shall be passed by the Legisla
" ture containing more than one subject,
ll v;hich shall be clearly exp rased in the title,
" except appropriation bills."
The exception is tlie only objectionable
feature in this section for money is some
times voted, in an appropriation bill, which
could not pass in a bill by itself. We be
lieve the Executive the Judiciary, the Leg
islative, arid other Departments, the Char
ity donations, and all Laws, should be pass
ed in separate bills, at different times; so
that each one should stand upon its own
merits, and not, as now, be smuggled in,
and allowed to pass upon the spur of neces
sity, by log rolling, at the end of the ses
sion.
To sliow the deception's practiced by bills
re-p-tihg to different subjects, and under un
satisfactory titles, we notice a few on our
last Senate file : . t,
"An act to authorize the sale of certain
real estate." .Where? and whose? are
reasonable inquiries, not answered by this
title,and for all public benefit the bill might
as well have had no title! If the act was
proper, why was not the title full and fair ?
''An act to change the venue in a certain
case." Whose case ? what county ? Very
many, having suits in Courts, would be a
larmed by such a nugatory yet annoying
heading of a bill.
"An act for the promotion of anatomical
science," was to give certain bodies for sur
gical dissection, and might as well have said
so at once. ..
In the House, "An act to lay a bounty
tax," referred to one township only, but one
would suppose might cover the State: Why
not say what township it concerned, for the
information of that township, and to set all
the rest of the State at ease ?
A "further supplement to an act relating
to Sheriffs, "does not refer to Sheriffs at all,
but gives the Commissioners of Carbon
countr power to pay $2,25 per week for
boarding prisoners, past as well as prospec
tive. Instead of "relating to sheriffs, " the
bill should have read "An act to confer a
special favor upon one Sheriff by raising the
usual compensation ior boarding prisoners,
in his ease onlv.
"An act to repeal Sec. 4, of an act rela
tive to certain election districts, approved
Arnl 27, 185."). W hy not say what the
bill was fur, instead of such roundabout
verbiage to hiuder legislators from knowing
what it was for who wants to hunt up old
law books uselessly ? or who has time in the
usual hurry of legislation ?
An act relating to passenger railways,'
repeals the law against running them on the
Sabbath.
Another act favorable to public morals,
as one would suppose by the title, had exact
ly, the opposite meaning in the bill, in our
opinion. -
lhere are tico bills reported, entitled
"An act relating to icaste." Waste of
what?
"An act relating to Allegany county"
raises the salary of one officer to $4,500, an
other to $3,000, c,
"An act relating to a certain alley." But
what about the alley ? And is the alley in
Philadelphia, Heading, Pittsburg, Harris
burg, Centerville, Lewisburg, Erie, or
where ?
There are perhaps a dozen bills passed,
each year, headed "A further supplement
to the act incorporating the city of Phila
delphia," on all imaginable subjects-praising
salaries, legislating men out and in of
fices, making certain offices compatible or
incompatible with others, end closing streets,
alleys, ic. No. 1326, II. B., embraces
three or four different subjects not one of
which is indicated by the bill, some of which,
of course, deserves to be considered and de
cided by itself.
Now, is it not manifest that in common
honesty, and for the protection of the mass
of the people in legislation, the object of
bills should be fairly seen on their face, and
that every subject matter should stand or
fall on its own merits ? No fair man, it
seems to us, should hesitate to vote, on
"Second Amendment For the Amend
ment." The Third Amendment reads :
"No bill shall be passed by the Legisla
" ture granting any power or privileges in
" any case where the" authority to grant
" such powers or privileges lias been or nury
" hereafter be conerred upon the court! of
" this commonwealth."
This, also, is obviously just, and politic.
Very much of the time of the Legislature
is occupied upon corporations which could
ami Krimild he uniform in their character.
and the propriety of granting which could
be much better and more fairly determined
by the Court (or Judges and Grand Jurors) ,
of their respective counties, than by 133
men who are strangers to most of the cor
porators and to the locality interested. In
Harrisburg, practically, the Senator and As
semblyman of the respective counties do all
its legislation, as no other likes to oppose
whatever they may ask of ''local" business.
This section would transter it to other, bet
ter informed authorities to men who, in
the nature of things, best understand each
case, by whom wrong can be detected, and
the responsibility thus brought to the right
persons. Petty incorporations could be
more cheaply, honestly and satisfactorily
obtained, under general than under special
acts. Vote, then, on "Third Amendment
For the Amendment."
It has been alleged the 2d and 3d Amend
ments are designed to kill the 1st : but the
hearts of men we can not judge we think
the Amendments are all right whatever the
motives of the proposers.
Now, voting for each of the three Amend
ments would be more likely to insure the suc
cess of all while omitting one or two, or
voting against them, would complicate vot
ing, and might endanger the first. Then,
print all your Tickets and Vote for all the
Amendments.
And get some extra votes for the ahsent
100 days' men.
Appearance of the Sun from the North Pole.
To a person standing at the north pole the
sun appears to sweep horizontally around the
sky every twenty-four hours without any
perceptible variation during its circuit in its
distance from the horizon. On the 21st of
June it is 23 28' above the horizon, a little
more than one-fourth of the distance to the
zenith, the highest point that it ever reaches.
From this altitude it slowly descends, its
track being represented by a spiral or screw
with a very fine thread, and in the course of
three mouths it worms its way down to the
horizon, which it reaches on the 23d of Sep
tember. On this day it slowly sweeps a
found the sky with its face half hidden be
low the icy fa. It still continues to de
scend, and after it has entirely disappeared
it is still so near the horizon that it carries
a bright twilight around the heavens in its
daily circuit. As the sun sinks lower and
lower, this twilight gradually grow3 fainter
till it fades away. On the 20th of Decem
ber the sun is 23 2SV below the horizon,
and this is the midnight of the dark winter
of the pole. From this date the sun begins
to ascend, and after a time his return is her
alded by a taint dawn which circles slowly
around the horizon, completing its circuit
everv twentv-four hours. This dawn rrows
gradually brighter, and on the 20th of
iuarch the peaks oi ice are gilded with the
first level rays of the six-months' , day. The
bringer of this long day continues to
wind his spiral way upward, till he reaches
his highest place on the 21st of June, and
his annual course is completed.
A Brave Cavalryman.
Andrew Myers, of Company M,Thirteenth
Pennsylvania cavalry, having got separated
from his regiment, left Washington city on
Wednesday to rejoin the same. When sev
eral miles from the city, he came upon two
llebel soldiers whom he took prisoners by
presenting a revolver to their heads and de
manding their surrender. He brought his
prisoners to this city and handed them over
to the Provost Marshal, and on Thursday
morning again started on his journey, but
had not proceeded far before he overtook two
more "Johnnies". liOm he took prisoners
also and again returned to Colonel Ingra
ham's office, where he delivered up his
charge. Friday morning Myers made yet
another .attempt to overtake his command,
but, strance to say, when ... between Tenally
towu and BockvilleH he feli in with four men
of the Bebel straggle whom he ordered to
"about face," and march to Washington.
Myers accompanied his prisoners to the city,
where they were committed to the Old Cap
itol, to keep the company of those previous
ly captured by the dashing cavalryman.
Amusing Incident. Charles Gates, a
minor son of Wm. K. Gates', of Lee, Mass.,
wished to enlist, three years ago, but his pa
rents objected to it. One morning he was
sent to drive the cows to pasture, on his way'
to work, taking his dinner with him. But
at night he did not come back, because he
had run away and enlisted in the 10th regi
ment. He remained through the three
years without a furlough, and returned with
the regiment unharmed by rebel bullets,
lie arrived in the old pasture at home one
night last week, just at "cow time," and he
leisurely drove up the same old cows, as if
he hadn't been away for three years. His
"reception" wa3 a joyful, one, none the less
so as his coming was a complete surprise.
What is Astrakan ? Many women the
past winter have worn Astrakan without
thinking what it is. Astrakan, as its name
indicates, is an Asiatic invention. They
couple a black ewe with a black ram. Be
fore the dam has given birth to the young,
she is killed and the lambs are taken from
her womb. Their wool is jet black and of
an extreme fineness. It costs very dear;
there are Persians whose Astrakan bonnets
are worth 500 francs ($100) a piece. This
statement is worthy of notice by ladies who
have false Astrakan Astrakan the wool of
which Ls long and dyed. Le Moniteur 11-
Ivstre Des Inventions.
Wheeling, Va., is one of the oddestof all
places. The Intelligencer of that city gives
the following sketch, vouching for its accu
racy : "We saw yesterday going up toward
the upper ferry a team of four animals a
horse, a pony," a mule,, and a bulb The
horse' had the heaves, the pony was blind,
the mule was lame, and the bull had no pro
.vision for fly time. In the wagon, which
was an ordinary one, sat a white man, a
crippled negro and a tame skunk. The
skunk was firmly bound with a wisp of straw.
The white man held the lines, the team
held its own, and the nigger held the skunK.
MAILS IH THE AEMY".
A friend in the Arnfjf of the Potomac
sends us the following, relating to Army
Mails, which may be of interest to many of
our readers :
Army of the Potomac, July, 1, 1864.
To the editor of The Clironicle .-In your
issue of the 29th ult., is an article on "Ar
my Mails," introducing General Grant's Or
der No. 39. I am prompted, on reading it,
to make a remark or two in reference to ar
my mails in general, and in particular to the
working of the mail system in this army
previous to the promulgation of order No. 39.
Under existing orders there are two sworn
mail agents at headquarters of each corps
d'armee, and one at headquarters of each
division and each brigade. The corps agents
receive the mails at the point to which they,
are consigned and distributed to the divis
ion agents of their respective corps, who,
in turn, distribute to brigade agents, by
whom, in most cases where there is a lack
of regimental carriers, letters are delivered
to the adjutants or quarter-masters of reg
iments. Each division is entitled to one
wagon to be used only in the mail service,
and a wagon is also allowed to each corps
headquarters for the same purpose : and,
whenever the orders are strictly enforced,
this amount of transportation is amply suf
ficient. I should here remark that, in ad
dition to this allowance, brigade, division,
and corps agents always have the use of a
saddle-horse when needed.
Daring the Peninsula campaign the mail
system was execrable. One improvement
followed another, until the assignment of
Gen. Hooker to the couimand-in-chief, when
radical changes were made, resulting event
ually in the arrangement under which the
mailsare served to-day. It is toGen. Hook
er and to Provost Marshal General Patrick
we are indebted for what I venture to as
sert is the best regulated military mail sys
tem ever known. It must be borne in mind,
too, that this system is purely military, the
department at Washington having nothing
whatever to do with it, further than to tbip
and receive mail-matter at one time dis
tributing it in so careless a manner as to ren
der the employment of soldier clerks at the
post office at Washington absolutely neces
sary. While I do not doubt in the least that
General Grant's army of the West was
promptly supplied with mails, I think that
too little praise has been awarded to those
officers and men who have, through difficul
ties and dangers no less embarrassing and
appalling, furnished the Army of the Poto
mac with their mails. At Fredericksburg,
while the safely entrenched troops of the
enemy were pouring their galling fire into
our rank 3, mail agents were busy delivering
and receiving letters and papers. Scarcely
a day passed during the Chaneellorsville
fight that we were not promptly supplied.
In the Gap, at Gettysburg, at Culpcpper,in
the Wilderness, at Spotlsylvania, and in
front of Petersburg, under the fire of sharp
shooters, everywhere, in short, have our
mail agents been assiduous in the discharge
of their duties. Only a few days ago one
had his horse shot under him. Another
was killed or captured while on duty in the
Wilderness. Another had his clothing
pierced by a rebel bullet, and still another,
with his mail-bag strapped to his saddle,
running the risk of losing his life at every
step from our own howitzers, rode in ad
vance of Gen. Sheridan's command on the
14th of May, and opened communication
between the cavalry and the gunboats on
the James. This achievement, as romantic
as it was dangerous, was heralded by the
press as the heroic deed of a signal officer.
Bofore closing this desultory note, I mast
call the attention of your readers to the
great importance of properly directing their
letters to the army. Within the last three
days I have seen about ten thousand mis
sent letters re-distributed at City Point.
These letters were returned from the differ
ent commands in the army, and at least
three-fourths of them were so indistinctly
and carelessly directed that it was impossi
ble to tell where they belonged. These will
go, of course, to the dead-letter office.
Among them were ten letters intended for
the 3d Wisconsin, and were thus super
scribed. 1. 3d Wisconsin, 3d division, 2d corps.
2. 3d Wisconsin, Gen. Banks' division.
3. 3d Wisconsin, 1st division, 2d brigade,
20th corps.
4. 3d Wisconsin, via. Chattanooga.
5. 3d Wisconsin, Army of the Cumber
land. 6. 3d Wisconsin, Sherman's division.
7. 3d Wisconsin, 1st division, 20th corps.
9. 3d Wisconsin, Williams' division, 12th
corps.
10. 3d Wisconsin, 1st division, 11th corps.
Letters addressed to "John Smith, com
pany II, th corps," are as common as the
very name itself, and "10th division, 10th
brigade, 10th corps," is a direction as well
known among mail men as the direction to
the trenches. It must be evident that let
ters bearing these vague superscriptions are
not apt to reach the parties for whom they
are intended. M.
Discipline of the Bebels.
Persons who particularly observed the
conduct of the liebel soldiers while they
were in the vicinity of Washington city, are
unanimous in the opinion that they were
excellently disciplined and obeyed their offi
cers in every respect with wonderful alacri
ty. The following anecdote illustrates fully
the feeling with which the Bebels regard
their Northern sympathizers. One of this
latter class asked a ltebel officer if he made
no distinction between the property of Union
people and that of the friends of the confed
erate cause? "Not at all," he replied ; "we
take from our Northern friends and sympa
thizers even more freely, because we feel
that they would specially desire to contribute
to the good cause of the South."
Bather a clincher, that reply.
Starvation in England1.
The London Daily ' Telegraph of June
29th says : Like a guant and chastlv shad
ow from another world startling ' a bridal
feast by its unannounced intrusion like the
terrible writing on the wall every now and
then the report of a coroner's inquest drives
the blood back to the heart, and turns laugh
ter into sighs. The morning's aper, open
ed in the pleasant breakfast parlor, reports
the great doings of England, of its mighty
commerce,' of its ceaseless enterprise, of the
thousand evidences of its almost unimagi
nable wealth, of its splendor and its power ;
but we turn to another page, and side by
side with the records of pomp and state the
eye is arrested by the heading of some such
paragraph as "death from starvation."
Now, it is an aged woman friendless and a
lone, now a strong man prostrate by sick
ness and stricken in his prime, anon the pa
rent of a group of helpless childreu who are
flung on the tender mercies of the world ;
tor hunger knows neither age nor sex, feed
ing alike on all. The latest case before us
illustrates the condition of a numerous
class :
"A poor woman named Ellen Smik:3,aged
fifty-seven, lived with her three children in
Osborn street, Whitechapel ; her husband
died some weeks ago, and she and her fam
ily occupied one miserable apartment, des
titute of furniture, unless that name can be
given to a bed on the floor. The family
consisted of two girls, eighteen and nine
years, and a boy of fourteen ; but the whole
means of support for the four persons was
derived from the labor of the eldest daugh
ter. She was a maker of match boxes, and
early and late the poor girl toiled with ach
ing and weary lingers to win a mouthful of
bread for those around her. The pay if
that word may be used was two pence
per gross, twenty-four dozen, boxes and lids,
out of which the paste used in the work
had to be found, and string provided for
binding the bundles as they were finished.
All her endeavors brought out five shillings
a week, two shillings and sixpence of which
went for rent, and on the balance four per
sons had to live to sustain vitality on sev
en pence-half penny each for seven days !
The end is already known. The mother fell
ill on Saturday and, by the advioe of a fellow-lodger,
the daughter went to the work
house for relief. Then comes the. old, old
story ; through ignorance she went to the
wrong place ; she applied to the relieving
officer for Spitafiel-ls instead of the one for
Whitechanel parish, and she cot nothiner.
but was told to come again on Tuesday
morning. On Monday night the lodger
heard the girl walking all the dark hours in
the room where her only parent lay dying,
and where death and famine reigned su-
Erenie. A doctor was sent for, and food
egged from the neighbors ; but the fight
was past, and ere the medical man arrived
the poor mother's troubles on earth were
over. At the inquest on Friday, evidence
was given that the organs of the deceased
were "healthy, but that the stomach and in
testines were perfectly empty ; facts prov
ing that she could not have taken any food
for quite a length of time previous to her
decease. Many truly sad tales have been
told in our pages of death from privation
and want, but none h.as exceeded this in its
intense agony and tragical accessories. Noth
ing that has ever been written or painted of
human woe surpasses the night-scene in this
Whitechaple lodging house. The imagi
nation of Shakspeare himself has conceived
no picture more awful and heart-rending
than that of the poor daughter yet a girl in
years without food, without friends, with
out a stool to sit on to rest her tottering
limb, alone with a dying mother and a starv
ing brother and sister, walking around the
straw pallet in hopeless despair, with none
but the Allseeing Eye to look down and
pity her. Ellen Smiles will soon be forgot
ten, those who are bone of her lone and
flesh of her flesh will kneel at her lowly
grave, shed bitter tears, and turn away for
ever ; but the main features of this human
tragedy are daily played and are too com
mon to be kept constantly in mind by the
busy public."
A Singular Incident.
The Boston Gazette tells the following
story :
Twenty years ago a gentleman of this city
resolved to remove out West, and started
for his destination. In New York he stop
ped at a second class hotel, and while there
was robbed of a purse containing some $2,
000 in gold. In the course of his perigrina
tions he was successful, and had forgotten
all about his loss, having accumulated a
handsome property. When the war broke
out he was too ohl to enlist, but feeling pa
triotic, he offered his services to Gen. Lo
gan, and acted as Quartermaster to a bri
gade. One night, on the march, the army
arrived at a small town in Southern Ala
bama, and according to orders he took pos
session of the inn for general headquarters.
While talking with the landlord he dis
covered that he formerly kept a hotel in
New York, and, upon pressing his inqui
ries, found that he was the identical land
lord of the house in which he had been rob
bed. In the course of the evening he ar
ranged a mock courtmartial and brought
the landlord before it, charging him among
other things with the robbery. Much to
his surprise the landlord confessed the rob
bery, and he had his choice to restore the
money or die at sunrise. The man received
his principal, and all the interest the land
lord could afford to pay, in gold, which the
gentleman invested in United States 7,30
notes.
To a well known United States Senator,
Grant said a few days ago and that too
while, the rebel "invasion was in progress :
"I amjust as certain to take Bichmondand
crush Lee's army, as the Fun is to rise."
This is Grant's opinion and he oueht to
know.
PLOTS Off TOOT.
Conference of Secessionists and Copper
heads in Canada.
NiAiSARA Falls, July 16, 1864.
The opposite side of the river is just now
the scene of active conferences between
prominent secessionists from Southern States
and active sympathizers with accession in
the North. Clement C. Clay, of Alabama,
Jacob Thompson of Mississippi, formerly a
member- of Buchanan's cabinet, Beverly
Tucker, onec United States Consul at Liv
erpool. George N. Sanders, of Cosmopoli
tan and miscellaneous notoriety, together
with sundry other gentlemen ot the same
ttolitical jo.-itiou, but less notoriety, are at
the Clifton House, where they are visited
from time to time by prominent Democrats
and others of secession sentiments whose
names I do not care just now to give.
There can be but very little doubt that the
object of this gathering is political and in
deed no secret is made by the parties con
cerned, in conversing with persons in whom
they have confidence, of the particular pur
poses they have in view. They are endeav
oring to devise a basis for the action of the
Chicago Convention which shall accomplish
two objects at once, end the tea rami secure
the triujujh of the Democratic party. In
other words, the secessionists are seeking to
frame a platform fur the Democratic party
in the coming election.
I have been told that Clay and Thompson
do not assume as yet to speak for the sece
ded States but they hold out very strong
hopes ot getting the assent ot those States
to the propositions they put forth provided
the Democratic party will pledge itself in
advance to accept them as the basis of its
political action. What these propositions
are, I am not authorized to say, but I be
lieve they embrace :
1. The return of the seceded States to
the Union.
2. The assumption of the Confederate
debts.
3. The recognition of the freedom of the
slaves actually emancipated in the progress
of the war, and the status quo ante btllum
as to all others.
If the Democratic party of the Northern
Slates will insert these planks in its plat
form, these secession emmissaries hold out
ho j cs of being able to secure so general
an assent to them in the South, as to give
the party great strength in the election by
promising the restoration of peace. Wheth
er they have any authoritv to make such
plodjres. I do not know. I am inclined to
think that thev have not, Due ma irn-ir
mission is purciv voluntary, and mat its or-
... - -1 , ..... 1 T
ject is to give am and comiort to ine l'era
ocratic partv in the cominjr contest. Ken
to
York Times.
"The Golden Circle."
The "Golden Circle" and other secession
organizations have called a mass convention
to meet at Peoria, Illinois, on the 3d of Au
gust next. Among the tigners to the call
are several recognized secession copperheads.
The Chicago 1'imes, rank copperhead, states
distinctly that this call culminates from "a
State secret organization, not counected, as
such, with the Democratic party, but the
viendnrrs of which act tcith the Democratic
party.1' The Chicago l'ust, a war Demo
crat paper exposes the character of the or
ganization and the proposed meeting as be
ing simply rebellious : We quote :
"There is a party in this country in favor
of peace on any terms. There is a party
in this country who want peace now;
who want to stop the war at its present
stage, and who want the Union to be dissol
ved now in the vain delusion, that in the
gene, al wreck of things that would follow,
the people would, as an t'scaje from anarchy,
be led into the formation of another Union,
with a new Constitution framed as our con
quering and victorious neighbors might dic
tate. There is such a pwty in Dlinois, and
early in August they propose to hold a pub
lic meeting in Peoria in this State, where
they will ventilate their peculiar doctrines
and give expression to their determinations
for the future. With free speech and free
press these men would be powerless among
intelligent people ; but they profess to be
Democrats, and call themselves the Demo
cratic party. They have increased in num
bers because their organization has been a
secret one within locked doors, and asso
ciates bound not to divulge, the proceedings.
They have lavished themselves into fury,
and have arrived at the conclusion that the
the rest of mankind were as foolish as them
selves. Seeing no one, admitting no one
but the initiated to their deliberations, they
have increased their numbers by thousands
who would not dare to appear in public in
connection with such an organization. Their
leing but one side to all their discussions,
and there being no opposition to their prop
ositions, they have concluded, that they
repreoent the moral and political sentiments
of the whole people. They at last propose
to hold a public meeting, and that is to be
held at Peoria. There they intend, if pos
sible, to scare the Democratic party into
their rneasures to hold the threat of de
fection over the Democratic party with a
view of Coercing it into a political declara
tion of hostility to the prosecution of the
war for any purpose..
Among the missiles found near Fort
Stevens are some qneer contrivances, and
some strange kinds of ammunition. A con
ical leaden musket ball, in three divisions,
is one ; a brass chain shot, five inches long
with a conical brass ball three-fourths of an
inch long at each end, is another. Tile
chain j.art is three and a half inches long,
formed of two stout brass wires, twisted to
gether and permanently rivited to the balls
at each end. ' This is a rifle charge, intend
ed to cut the flag staff, or to serveas a double-header.
The third variety is a tuning
screw for a piano, fired from a rifle and im
bedded in a tree, and shows that the rebels
wore gettme short of missile. '"