The Sun. — London, England, 1865-02-01 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 1, 1865. TH T ::; CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA. (From the Times' Correspondent.) NEW YORK, Jan. 17. The capture of Fort Fisher has filled the Northern people with more than usual joy, 'and been unwel come to no true Federalist,: unless to General Butler, who was explaining before the Committee on "Military Affairs at Washington how impossible it was to take it, when the news arrived that the deed was done. The naval portion of the second expedi tion by which the result was obtained was as strong as the first, while the military was much stronger, and conducted by a General who had the fate of Butler fresh and green in his recollection to warn him of the personal consequences of failure. The capture of Fort Fisher does not necessarily involve that of Wilmington-17 miles distant up the Wil mington or Cape Fear River—but as the Govern ment and General Grant have resolved upon obtain ing the city at any price, and will not be deterred from their purpose by any weak considerations of cost, it is to be presumed that an attempt will im mediately be made to carry its defences either by a coup de main or the slower operations of a siege. As the city will be attacked in front by the victorious troops of General Terry, and in the rear by a large co-operating force from Newberne, it will tax all the energies, resources, and skill of the Confederate General in command at Wilmington --supposed to be General Bragg—to hold the city against the powerful odds opposed to him, if not to escape with the garrison as cleverly as Hardee did from Savan nah when he found the position to be tenable no longer. The news of the fall of Fort Fisher sent down the premium on gold from 114 to 114} per cent., but the fall was not maintained, and the price rose later in the day to 1151. The " peace mission" of the elder Mr. Blair to Richmond has ended as all sensible men expected. Mr Blair had nojauthority, no credentials, and no public purpose. His private purpose was, it ap appears, to regain possession of some valuable law papers and other documents taken from his house at Silver Springs by the invading army of General Early in the summer of 1864, in which object he is stated to have been successful. As a private indi vidual, and not as a public functionary or an am bassador, he had interviews with some of the Con federate Ministers and other personal friends, and learnt from them whatever they chose to communi cate on the great subjects of war and peace, and has returned to Washington, in all probability, a wiser man than when he left it. Gen. Singleton, a strong Unionist, but a sturdy opponent of war as a means of restoring the ancient compact between the States, has also been allowed, rather than authorised by Mr. Lincoln, to pass the Federal lines and proceed to Richmond, and will in due time, if he mixes much with influential people, make his way back, as thoroughly convinced as Mr. Blair that the restora tion of the Union by negotiation is impossible as long as the South has armies in the field or guerillas in the mountains. Dr. Zacharie's mission, whatever may have been its object, has been but little spoken of ; but when he returns it will be strange if he has anything newer or better to tell the President of the views, wishes, and determination of the Confederate people and leaders than he will already have learnt from Messrs. Blair and Singleton. Wall-street has ceased to be affected by the peace rumours that a week ago were as thick as snow flakes in the wintry air, and the prices of gold and stocks, instead of vibrating to the dulcet melodies of peace and good will, are beginning to dance to the martial music of the guns of Wilmington and Fort Fisher, and the answering chorus of Petersburg and Richmond. Meanwhile Mr. Seward continues to be bellicose towards Canada and Great Britain, and peaceful towards France ; while the Senate of the United States takes a less moderate course, and seems to think that if there is to be a foreign in addition to the civil war, both France and England should bear the brunt of it. Notice has been given in the Senate of the desire of the people of the United States to abrogate all existing treaties with Great Britain having reference to Canada or British North America, and Mr. Charles Sumner has even gone so far as to introduce a motion to terminate the com pact known as the Ashburton Treaty. In addition to this manifestation of unfriendliness Mr. Seward's passport system has proved more vexatious to the Canadians than even he, an adept in the art of poli tical irritation, could have imagined. An outraged Yankee, resident in Canada, whose operations have been impeded and diminished by the virtual block ade of Canada which the system has established, has publicly proclaimed the Secretary, in true American parlance, to be " a vindictive cuss," and such influ ence of a more conciliatory kind has been brought to bear upon Mr. Seward, by the inhabitants of Detroit, Buffalo, and other American cities on the Lakes and in the vicinity of the St. Lawrence, as will, it is hoped, induce him to withdraw the order. Such neighbours have everything to lose and nothing to gain by these impolitic, if not barbarous, restric tions, more suitable to China or Japan than to enterprising and commercial America. As a means of preventing the incursions of such soldiers or free booters—whichever designation may best suit them —as Lieut. Bennett Young and his companions, the system is utterly worthless. In spite of all the pass ports which an army of gendarmes could exact from travellers, such guerillas or robbers, if intent upon mischief or plunder, could pass unimpeded from Canada into the States at hundreds of places on the St. Lawrence and the Lakes. The measure was solely intended for annoyance, and has accomplished its object, with the unexpected accompaniment of detaching from the Federal cause the last lingering relic of sympathy entertained for it by the Cana dians. It has the additional demerit of being quite as distateful to one side of the border as to the other, and for this reason will probably be abandoned, in deference to American rather than to Canadian interests. The action of the Senate on the Mexican question is equally significant of ill-will towards France and the Emperor Maximilian. An Appropriation Bill, for the payment of the salaries of ambassadors and other expenses of the legations in Great Britain, France, Spain, the European Powers generally, and Mexico, was brought up in the usual manner, and was about to pass without discussion, when Senator Wade, of Ohio, suddenly moved to amend the bill by inserting before " Mexico" the words "the Re public of." The amendment was adopted nem. con., and the bill passed amid acclamation. This means that if the Federal Government despatch a Minister to Mexico, it will be to General Juarez, the late— and the senators consider the actual—President of the Mexican Republic, and not to the Emperor Maximilian, the de facto, and, as all Europe consi ders, the de jure sovereign. The decision will place Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Seward in a difficulty, and the Senate must either reverse its vote or the Federal Government will remain without a representative at the Court of its southern neighbour. Perhaps, too, the Emperor Maximilian may think it advisable, if the North recognise President Juarez, that Mexico should recognise President Davis, which would be a very Pretty quarrel, and one into which the North will have thrust itself very unnecessarily. Another border State, Tennessee, has by the una nimous ,Vote of a convention, abolished popular stavery, immediately and unconditionally. As it appears that there was not a single slaveholder elected to th e Convention, and as the interests and wishes of the slaveholde as any way set f orth, T rs, the a class, were not in ennesseeans cannot fairly claim in thi s matter the p they praise may of liberality, what ever amount ofapprobatio n arrogate on the score of philanthropy, r ap plies to the recent ac ti on of the same criticism Sttate Conventions that still b u t ill pending of Maryland and Miss our i , and to hs the stigm a profit e d, in Kentucky. It costs the abolitionists se e nothi ng their votes to remove from themselves of an institution by which they ne ver which the war has converted from a socialnti, a and party and political question. Accordi ng :0- —the census of 1860 the total black populati on of these States was 808,820, of whom 105,498 were free, and 703,332 were slaves. The slaves in Marylande numbered 87,189 ; in Missouri, 114,931 ; in . Ten nessee, 275,179 ; and in Kentucky, 225,483 ; while of the free blacks Maryland alone contained 83,942, or nearly four times as many as Missouri, Ken tucky, and Tennessee combined. The unexpected though not untimely death of Mr. Edward Everett has caused general regret throughout the North. Mr. Seward, instructed by the President, has officially notified " that the seve ral Executive departments of the Government will cause appropriate honours to be rendered to the memory of the deceased, at home and abroad, wherever the national name and authority are re organised." Mr. Everett was not a statesman, but a polished gentleman of the class rarely met with among Americans except such as have travelled in Europe, a pleasing writer, and a very fluent orator. He had the art of making beautiful speeches about nothing and containing nothing but a flow of grace ful words and well-turned periods. At the com mencement of the war Mr. Everett, in common with many abler and more earnest politicians, was of opinion that the Northern States had no right to use coercion towards the South, if the Southern States or any considerable number of them chose to break up the political partnership of the Union, and was put forward as a candidate for the Vice-Presi dency under Mr. Bell, of Tennessee, for the Presi dency, on the strictly Conservative platform of the " Union and the Constitution," and any guarantee to slavery that the Constitution might sanction. But as time wore on he was carried away with the multitude, and became as passionate a pro moter of the war as was consistent with the almost feminine gentleness and gracefulness of his cha racter. He was quiet, methodical, precise —never in a hurry, and never excited to overpass either in word or accent, or even in manner, the line of polite propriety and decorous if not stoical dignity. It is related of his eloquent oration on Washington —which he committed to memory without the loss or addition of a word, and which he delivered no less than 120 times in all the principal towns and cities of the Union for the benefit of the fund for the purchase of Washington's home and tomb at Mount Vernon—that he always drew out his white cambric pockethandkerchief and wiped his tearful eyes at the same exact passage, that he always waited for the popular applause at the exact sentence which he had framed to catch it, and that the same exact wave and motion of the right hand or the left was invariable mode at the beginning or end of the phrase where he had planned to introduce it. He had no fire, no abandon, no gust of irrepressible energy, but ran over the mill wheel of his work with the most exemplary continuity and regularity. He had no enemies and no friends, and was a graceful specimen of honest and inoffensive mediocrity. He never made any mark in statesmanship, and the mark which he made in literature was neither deep nor broad, nor likely to be permanent. He forsook his true vocation when he abandoned the pulpit, for which he was originally intended. America boasts of many clergymen who merit the sobriquet of the " Rev. Mr. Brimstone." It had one to deserve the softer title of the " Rev. Mr. Treacle," and lost him when Mr. Everett abandoned theology for statecraft, and converted a persuasive divine into an irresolute politician. The popularity which during the last four years of his life Mr. Everett for the first time enjoyed was due to the part he took at the outbreak of the war. It was expected from his character and antecedents that his sympathies would have been with the South. They declared themselves strongly in favour of the North. From that circumstance he became a favourite both with the Administration and the people, and holding no office, either civil or military, he did nothing to forfeit the favour which he had so easily and unexpectedly acquired, and which, now that he is no more, has settled upon his memory, and will hand him down to posterity as one of the lights—though not among the most brilliant—of American history. Naval and Military Intelligence. ...-- The Rinaldo, screw, Commander Hon. Maurice H. Nelson, was yesterday officially inspected at Spit head, on her return to England from foreign service, by Capt. F. Scott, C. 8., and Aide-de-Camp to the Queen, flag captain to the Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, G.C.B. After the inspection the Rinaldo weighed her anchor and steamed into Portsmouth harbour, where she is ordered to be dismantled and paid out of commission. The Helicon, paddlewheel despatch vessel, of 835 tons and 250 nominal horse power of engines,will be launched from No. 1 slip of Portsmouth dockyard at noon to-day. The Himalaya, iron screw troopship, in the Warrior dock at Portsmouth, has had her bottom and the preservative anti-fouling compositions (Peacock and Buchan's) with which it is coated officially examined and reported upon to the Admiralty by the dock yard officials, who have recommended that a re newed coating should be given with the same de scription of compositions, after a clean scrub down, and without any disturbance of the old compositions, which are unusually well preserved. It is nine months nearly since the Himalaya received her old coatings of the Peacock and Buchan compositions in dock at Keyham, and upwards of three months of the latter part of that time the ship has lain at moorings in Portsmouth harbour, giving the compo sitions a greater chance, therefore, of fouling than they could have undergone had the ship been kept moving under steam on her ordinary troop duties. On the examination being made of the vessel's bot tom in dock,. however, there was only found adher ing to the composition tufts of short weed and slime, the greater part, no doubt, deposited by the waters of Portsmouth harbour while the ship has been lying still at her moorings. There were no other adhesions of any kind, nor was there found any appearance of rust. On Sunday last, on board her Majesty's ship Victory at Portsmouth, W. J. Hamill, a boy belonging to her Majesty's training brig Ferret, tender to the training ship Boscawen in South ampton water, was presented, in the presence of the ship's company and the officers assem bled on the quarter-deck, with the Humane Society's medal. It was bestowed on him for jumping over board from the brig off Southampton, while a fresh breeze was blowing and a strong ebb tide running, and saving the life of a boy and fellow shipmate, William Bayley, who had fallen overboard. Capt. Scott, of the Victory, in handing the medal to Hamill, addressed him in a kind and encouraging manner, praising him for his gallant conduct in saving the life of his shipmate, and expressing his best wishes for his success in a career which had been so honourably distinguished at its commence ment. Hamill is 16 years of age. The paddlewheel surveying vessel Asp is fitting at Devonport as a tender to the guardship of Steam Reserve Indus, Capt. William Edmonstone, C.B. The paddlewheel steam storeship Dee, 1, Master- Commander George Raymond, left Plymouth on Saturday with boiler and engine gear for the iron steamship Lord Clyde, 24, at Pembroke.• The Dee then proceeds to Liverpool. Orders have been received at Devonport to fit the old sailing ship Hindostan, 78, as an auxiliary for the Britannia, 8, training ship for naval cadets at Dartmouth. The lighter Hamoaze, J. Paddon, master, left Devonport yesterday with stores for Pembroke dockyard. In accordance with orders to that effect received at the head-quarters of the Royal Engineer estab lishment, Chatham, the Bth Company of Royal Engineers, which has recently arrived from China, has been augmented to its proper strength from the depot companies at Brompton Barracks, the com.. pany having returned to England numbering only about half its proper complement. The hired sailing transport Royal Dane has arrived at Spithead from Melbourne, with a number of wounded and invalided officers and men on board from her Majesty's naval and military force in New Zealand, forwarded from Auckland, New Zealand, to Melbourne, and embarked.at the latter on board the Royal Dane on Nov. 8, 1864, the ship sailing on the following day for England. The naval por tion of the Royal Dane's freight consis ts of Ca p t. Alexander, R.N. (wounded), and five seamen, one of the latter having leg. lost a The soldiers on board, who are wounded more or less severely, are from the following eo r mander-Gen PsR Commissariat Staff Corps—Com ,,urolleston ; Staff Assi s t- Army Hospital Corps -2 w omen, an q s g e i l G il oode; Royal Artillery-5 men, Ist battalion 12th—men' Military Train-5 men ; 2d battali on 14th -5 men, '2 wo men , an d 5 c hildren ; 2d battalion 18th , men, 1 woman, an d 1 child ; `-'allt• Kemp, 6 men, 2 women, and 1 child ; 40th Regiment-9 men ; 43d Regiment —Capt. Sargent, 26 men, 4 women, and 8 children ; 50th Regiment—Lieut. Goldsmith and 20 men; 57th Regiment-3 men ; 65th Regiment—Lieut. Butler and 3 men ; 68th Regiment-18 men, 1 woman, and 3 children ; 70th Regiment-11 men, 2 women, and 1 child ; and the widow of Capt. Lloyd, with three widows of soldiers and three orphans. Four deaths occurred during the voyage home. The militaryinvalids will be transferred this morning by a Government steamer to the Royal Victoria Mili tary Hospital at Netley ; the naval invalids were transferred yesterday to her Majesty's ship Victory and the Royal Naval Hospital at Haslar. If the weather proves moderate the transport of the sol diers between the Government steamer when she arrives in Southampton Water and the hospital at Netley will be effected without much difficulty by the steamer arriving there at high-water. With any force of wind; however, very considerable dis comfort is experienced by the sick soldiers in walk ing up the open-planked staging, or mud roadway, which now has to do duty as a pier between the steam-vessel and the hospital grounds. The want of a properly constructed pier near the Royal Vic toria Military Hospital at Netley at which to land the sick and wounded soldiers, now received there from all parts of the world, is much felt. The Royal Dane has 2,012 ounces of gold on board on freight. She is expected to sail from Spithead for London, after discharging her invalids, about noon to=day. In The Sun of the 22d inst. it was stated that Commander Hope Johnstone, of her Majesty's ship Virago, was severely reprimanded by court-martial at Bermuda. We are requested to contradict this statement. We have to record the death of Lieut.-Col. Fre derick, Harvey Fuller, at Bear-hill, Twyford, Berks, on the 25th inst. The deceased, who had attained the age of 70 years, entered the army January 21, 1804, and became lieutenant April 4, 1805. He proceeded to the Peninsula in 1808, and was pre sent with the 53d Regiment at the capture of Oporto and in the battles of Talavera, Busaco, and Fuentes d'Onor. He had received the war medals with two clasps for Talavera and Busaco. The contract for the construction of the steel upper masts and yards for the ironclad screw fri gate Bellerophon, 14, 1,000 horse power, building at Chatham dockyard, has been taken by the firm of Messrs. Jackson and Watkins for the sum of £1,030. The Bellerophon is the first of our vessels of war which will carry masts and yards of steel. Those who advocate its adoption for this purpose have little doubt that it will in future be used in all the iron vessels to be constructed for the navy. The lower masts for the Bellerophon are of plate iron, and these are now being manufactured by the Wood side Iron Company, whose tender for the work was £1,445. In accordance with instructions received from the Admiralty the whole of the hands employed on the Bellerophon have discontinued working be yond the usual time, as they have done during the last summer and present winter. This order has been given, not from any fear on the part of the Admiralty that the Bellerophon will be completed by too early a period, but solely, it would appear, from the circumstance that the additional sum taken in the last year's estimate for extra wages is nearly exhausted. A similar order has been given to dis continue working extra hours on board the iron cased frigate Lord Warden, likewise building at Chatham, which will result in the completion of both those vessels being delayed a considerable time beyond that originally named. The paddlewheel steamer Terrible, 21, 1,850 tons, 800 horse power, which was docked at Chatham on Monday, underwent a thorough inspection yester day at the hands of the officials connected with the master shipwright's staff, to ascertain the extent of injury she sustained from getting aground during the late gale. Beyond some slight defects, which an hour or two's work on the part 'of the shipwrights Would make good, there were no injuries apparent, her forefoot being unhurt, and only a few streaks of copper rubbed off her keel, while her valves and cocks were uninjured. She was floated out of dock at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon. Tier Majesty's ship Steady, 5, Acting Commander A. G. Bogle, was at Bolivar, up the Orinoco, on the Ist of January, 1865. All on board were well, and the weather was fine. The water in the river was low, and the vessel could not proceed higher up. She ascended the river in three days. The Steady was to go to Demerara at the end of January. The launch of the improved paddlewheel despatch vessel Helicon was successfully effected yesterday from No. 1 slipway of Portsmouth dockyard, a few minutes before high water. The ceremony of naming the vessel and releasing her from the dog shores which held her on the " ways" was per formed by Miss Elliot, the eldest daughter of Rear- Admiral Superintendent George Elliot, the Admiral Superintendent of the yard. The Helicon in all probability is the last wooden vessel that will be launched from Portsmouth dockyard. For the duties of a vessel attached to a squadron of ironclads the Helicon will be admirably adapted, for, _from her graceful lines and power of engines as compared to her tonnage, she will undoubtedly prove the-fastest craft of her size in her Majesty's navy. Her draught of water was found yesterday to be 6ft. aft and 4ft. 2in. forward. The following are the Helicon's principal dimensions :—Length between perpendiculars, 220 ft ; length of keel for tonnage, 200 ft. lain. ; breadth extreme, 28ft. 2in. ; breadth for tonnage, 28ft. ; breadth moulded, 27ft. 2in. ; depth in hold to top of floor, 14ft. bin. ; burden in tons, 834 53-94ths. She was launched, of course, as a mere shell, and her machinery has yet to be placed on board. This will consist of a pair of oscillating cylinder engines, driv ing feathering float paddlewheels of the collective power of 250 horse-nominal. Messrs. Ravenhill, Sal keld, and Co., are the makers. The Helicon was originallylaid down from the same lines as the Admi ralty paddle-yacht Enchantress, and the Pysche and the Salainis despatch-vessels. These vessels, however, proved on their trials under steam to be either over done with engine power in proportion to their ton nage, or faulty in their lines forward, the tendency of all three vessels under full steam being to bury their bows in the water, and thus absorb a conside rable amount of their propelling power in overcom ing the resistance of this wall of water raised in their path, aptly described by seamen as " a bone in her teeth." On the accession of Mr. E. J. Reed as Chief Constructor of the Navy that gentleman ap pears to have marked down the Helicon as too valuable a vessel with which to repeat the mistakes —if a mistake had been committed—in the Enchan tress, Psyche, and Salamis. He accordingly directed that the vessel's framing, from her midships section to forward, should be taken down and reconstructed on an entirely different plan. The original lines of the vessel forward were carried out with the established (Admiralty) lean hollow-bow, with an overhanging and depressing mass of stem, cutwater, rails, figure head, &c., round the ship's stem. The present forebody of the Helicon has been constructed on Mr. Reed's well-known theory by which the V-shaped form of the midship section is carried well forward, gradually decreasing to a true wedge with out the " hollow" bow, while the steamhead is thrown back and inboard, and has no outer " fix ings" of any kind, not even a bowsprit, much less the projecting cutwater, rails, figure-head, &c. The stem of the vessel is elongated below the water line, and thus possesses the swan breast form in common with the Defence and others of her Ma su of offencea means b y runningof forw a full rd Ma jesty's ships constructedas " rams." In the Heli con's case this projection. has not been given her as flotation stem n into a n d. a t n o lift" her to th e sea w h en feeling the 4 , a enemy, mean but as full power of her engines. The Helicon will be at once fitted with her machinery. Her trials at the measured mile in Stokes Bay will immediately follow. If her trials are carried out at the same draught of water and under the same conditions in other re spect as were those of the Enchantress --the fastest of the three vessels named as formerly completed— the results will be most interesting on many points, in addition to the not unimportant one of proving the bowportion of Mr. Reed's theory of shipbuilding. The remainder of the officers and crew of Her Majesty's late ship Bombay are expectqd to arrive at Portsmouth to-day by special train from Liver pool, the Herschel steamship, in which they are re turning to England from Montevideo, being under stood by the authorities to be ordered to Liverpool from Lisbon, her last port of call. On arrival at Portsmouth the officers and men will be temporarily berthed on board the Duke of Wellington training ship, Captain John Seccombe, pending the result Of the court-martial for the loss of the Bombay, which is expected to assemble on board Her Majesty's ship Victory about the 6th inst. The amalgamation of several of the depot com panies and breaking up of a number of the depot bat talions, in accordance with the orders received from the War-office, has caused numerous important changes in the corps quartered at Chatham, and yesterday the first removal of troops from that gar rison under the new arrangements ordered by the Horse Guards took place. The depots removed were the 101st Royal Bengal Fusileers, which pro ceeded to Walmer, to join the 6th Depot Battalion ; the 91st Argyllshire Highlanders, from the 3d Depot Battalion to Preston ; and the depot companies of the 31st, 75th, and 83d Regiment to Aldershot t Camp, to join the headquarters of their respective corps. The depots of the 43d Light Infantry, num bering 270 non-commissioned officers and men and the following officers—viz., Lieut. E. Villiers and Ensign J. C. Carter ; and the 51st King's Own Light Infantry, numbering 92 non-commissioned officers and men, with Capt. C. L. B. Hamilton, Lieut. R. N. Cobb, Lieut. E. E. Middleton, Ensign H. Talbot, and Ensign R. R. Tomson, will leave the garrison to-morrow, for Winchester, to join the 7th Depot Battalion, which is to consist exclusively of light in fantry regiments. The vacancies caused at Chat ham by the removal of so many corps from that gar rison will be filled by the transfer of several of the depots from those battalions which are to be broken up. The first of the depots—that of the 2d Batta lion of the 2d Queen's Royals—arrived at Chatham yesterday afternoon from Walmer, where it was re lieved by the 101st depot. The 2d Battalion of the 2d numbers 140 men of all grades and the following officers, viz. :—Capt. R. J. Hercy, Capt. H. R.' Tucker, Capt. S. H. L. T. Wedrington, Lieut. J. C. Stratford, Lieut. E. G. St. John, and Lieut. W. C. Hood. The following depots are expected to arrive at Chatham garrison to-day from Preston, viz. :—The Ist and 2d Battalion of the 10th Regi ment, numbering 10 officers and 300 non-commis sioned officers and men, and the depot of the 29th Regiment, consisting of four officers and 158 men of all ranks. The other depots ordered to be quar tered at Chatham are the Ist and 2d Battalions of the 15th Regiment, the 40th, the 65th, and the 80th Regiment. The following appointments were made yesterday at the Admiralty :—Walter B. Elliot, Algernon B. Sheridan, Robert C. Cragie, and Francis Powell, midshipmen, to the Sutlej ; Robert S. Rolleston, John B. M. Heming, Anthony G. F. Gordon, and Charles R, Arbuthnot, naval cadets, to the. Sutlej ; Walter B. fAlmack and Frank W. Wyley, naval cadets, to the Curacoa ; Alex. W. C. Batten, nomi nated to a naval cadetship ; James Trimble, assist.- Burg., to the "Britannia ; and Charles L. Cunning ham, assist.-surg., to the Liverpool. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. MIDLAND. A telegram from the secretary of this company states that the directors have decided on recommending a dividend on the ordinary stock of the company for the half-year ending the 31st of December last at the rate of 71 per cent. per annum. annum on the A preference stock and B preference shares, and £3,940 for a dividend on the ordinary stock, at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum, leaving a balance of £502 for the next account. The income of the company for the whole year 1864 was £35,131 as compared with £31,658 in 1,863, showing an increase of £3,473. A bill for the ensu ing session was intended, among other things, to empower the company to purchase by agreement a branch railway of nearly a mile and a half in length, known as the Rhos branch, with a view to convert it into a public railway as part of the system of the company, and thus to open out a district from which coal and ironstone might be brought in considerable quantities to the main line. A bill pro moted by the Carmarthenshire Company *had powers in serted in it to enable the Llanelly Company to make a railway of about one mile and three-quarters in length, to connect the Carmarthenshire Railway with the com pany's St. David line. Trains had been running over the entire length of the Carmarthen line, but the narrow gauge had not been laid over the whole of that portion of the Carmarthen and Cardigan Railway which,the company must use to pass their trains to Carmarthen and to the junc tion with the Great Western Railway near that place. The operations on the Swansea lines had been carried onwith all the vigour that circumstances had allowed, and the endea vours of all parties were directed to provide for traffic pass ing over the line at an. early period. The capital account showed that £360,015 had been expended on the main line, £382,502 on the Swansea lines, and £182,983 on the Car marthen line ; total, £925,500. The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, congratulated the shareholders on the improved position of the company. The net earnings for the past half-year were very nearly sufficient to pay a dividend at the rate of 4/ cent. per annum on the ordinary stock. The new lines were not yet completed, bat they hoped that early in May the Swansea branch would be ready for traffic. Resolutions were passed adopting the report, and declar ing a dividend on the ordinary stock :at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum, payable on the Ist of March. The retir ing directors, Mr : J. Biddulph, Mr. C. W. Christie, Mr. J. Overend, and Colonel Miller, were re-elected. The meeting was then made special, and the directors were authorised to raise £30,000 by the further issue of 5 per cent. B preference shares for the purpose of purchasing 15'ranch railways, additional rolling stock, and building new offices. The lease for the Vale of Towy line not being ready for sanction by the shareholders, the meeting was adjourned. METROPOLITAN The report of the directors of this company states that the receipts during the past half-year will, after deducting all expenses and interest chargeable against revenue, leave a net available balance of X 64,101. The directors recommend a dividend at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum upon the preference stock, and at the rate of 7 per cent. per annum upon the ordinary stock and new ordinary shares respec tively, and that the balance, £7,777, be carried to the credit of the next account. The traffic returns during the half year show a very regular and satisfactory increase, and the same steady improvement continues to the present time. The directors have completed an arrangement with the Great Western Railway Company which they believe will prove advantageous to both companies. The directors have also concluded an agreement for the maintenance and work ing of the Metropolitan and St. John's-wood Railway at 50 per cent. of the gross earnings of that line, with a view to secure the early and full development of the traffic of a valu able feeder to the Metropolitan system. With regard to the Finsbury extension and widening between King's-cross and Farringdon-street, two lines of rails would be wholly inade quate to meet the requirements of the rapidly increasing local traffic (more than 315,000 persons having been carried in ono week), together with that of the Great Western, the Great Northern, the Midland, the London, Chatham, and Dover, and other railway companies seeking accommoda tion ; and that if the works were so constructed they would have to be enlarged at great cost and inconvenience. In view of these facts the directors had to determine either, at a great sacrifice of capital, to urge on the works as originally laid out, and open the line to Finsbury within the stipulated time, or to submit to the temporary loss of the Finsbury revenue which would be occasioned by the postponement in the opening of the extension, and be in evitable if the works were at once proceeded with for four lines of rails. Under these circumstances the directors ac cepted a proposal from Mr. Kelk that the time for the com pletion of the Finsbury works should be extended, and that he should be intrusted with the construction of the ad ditional and enlarged works between King's-cross and Finsbury, he on his part undertaking to pay from time to time any amount which might be required to compensate the shareholders for the temporary loss of the Finsbury revenue. In accordance with this arrangement Mr. Kelk has contributed for the past half-year a sum equal to 7 per cent on the paid-up Finsbury capital. The directors have thus been enabled to effect the saving of a large and waste ful expenditure and to pay the shareholders the dividend they had a fair right to receive, and a t t h e same time have been placed in a position to compl e t e the agreement with the Great Western Railway • Company and to enter i n t o , similar engagements with other companies without dis arranging the local traffic of the line. The works between Farringdon-street and Finsbury are being carried on with great vigour; both the Aldersgate-street and Finsbury Stations are expected to be ready for traffic before the next half-yearly mdeting of the company. The time has now arrived when arrangements should be made for raising the capital for the Eastern and Western Extensions. In the opinion of the directors, the requisite capitals should be raised as portions of the general capital of the company by the creation of new shares, upon terms which would make them immediately valuable, and which should be offered at par rateably to the existing shareholders. The directors therefore suggest that during the construction of the works arrangements should be made for the payment of interest on the new capitals at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum for the first two years, and at the rate of 6 per cent. afterwards; that from the opening of the extensions until the 31st of December, 1869, the holders of new shares should participate in dividends not exceeding 6 per cent. per annum ; and on the Ist of January, 1870, the capital should be consolidated and take equal dividends. The report of Mr. J. Fowler, the engineer, states that the works of the Finsbury extension are proceeding satisfac torily. The works from the Farringdon-street Station to near Smithfield-bars with the proposed junction of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway are very nearly completed, and a considerable portion of the excavation in Smithfield required for the depot under the proposed meat markets has been executed. The additional lines of railway to Aldersgate-street are nearly completed. Mr. Fowler pro poses to push forward the works from Aldersgate-street to Finsbury, and to open a temporary station there during the course of next summer, simultaneously with the open ing to Aldersgate-street. The works of the widening from King's-cross to Farringdon-street have been commenced. Mr. Fenton, the general mana er, states that the number of passengers conveyed over the line in the first half of 1864 was 5,207,335 and the receipts £54,740, and in the second half, ending Decemberlast, 6 514 and the receipts £61,749, showing that 11,721 , 8 89 passengers were conveyed over the line during th e past year, aga i ns t 9,455,175 in 544 1863, showing an increase of 2,266,714. On comparing the number of passenge rs i n t h e pas t h a lf year with the corresponding period of 1863 , there was an increase of 1,882,816 passengers, and o f £13 , 100 in the receipts. The largest number of persons carried since the opening of the line in one week was 317,813 in Christmas week last, and the largest daily number was 64,143 on the Monday of that week. Tho capital account showed that 2,369,447 had been expended, including £314,009 expended during the past half year. The revenue account showed that £97,192 had been received, and £25,474 vxpended in working, and £7,617 paid for interest on debentures, leaving £64,101. LLANELLY. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held yes. terclay at Radley's Hotel, New Bridge-street ; Mr. J. Bid• dulph in the chair. The report stated that the earnings of the company during the half-year ending Dec. 31 were £18,165, showing an in crease of £1,255 over the corresponding half of 1863, and the working expenses, including the hire and purchase of of waggons, were £8,727, being a decrease of £4l B , leaving the profit on worki ng £9 ,438, to w hi c h was a dd e d th e balance from the prec e di ng half-year, £lB5 , ma ki ng a t o t a l of £9,623. After pay ment of £3,34 1 f or i n t eres t on deben tures and rent of Vale of Towy Railway, there remained a surplus of £6,282 for dividends, out of which was de ducted £1,840 for dividends, at the rate of 5 per cent. per LONDONDERRY AND ENNISKILLEN. The directors of this company state in their report that the rent of the railway for the six months, £13,000, has been received from the Irish North-Western Company by weekly payments, less income tax. Such moneys as were not immediately required for the use of the company were placed to a deposit account, the interest of which amounts to £49 10s. 2d. The transfer fees for the six months have amounted to £2 10s., these, added to the balance brought forward from the last account, of £lB2, give the gross total of £13,234, which appears to the debit of the revenue ac count to the 31st of December last. From this amount of £13,234, the cost of conveyances and land, office expenses, and the interest on loans from Government, and onsleben tures, amounting together to £4,136, have been charged, leaving a disposable balance of £9,098 towards the payment of dividends and arrears. The directors recommend that the dividends, at the rate of 5 per cent. 'per annum, to the 31st of December, be declared, and paid on the 18th of February, on the £3,062 10s. Stock B ; also the dividends at the rate of 6 per cent. per annum on the £31,850 Stock A ; also the dividends, at the rate of 5 per cent., together with 11 per cent. on account of arrears, making 6iper cent. per annum on £247,737 10s. Stock B. After the payment of these dividends and arrears, there will remain a balance of £l4 for the next account. The expenditure on capital account amounts to £708,351. DUTCH RHENISH. The receipts on this company's line for the fortnight end ing Jan. 15 amounted to £B,Bll, and for the corresponding period of last year to £7,499, showing an increase of £1,312. The receipts since the commencement of the present book year, on May 1, including the above, amounted to £196,082, showing an increase, as compared with the corresponding period of last year, of £29,601. The working expenses for the fortnight amounted to £4,171, or 47.33 per cent. of the receipts, and for the corresponding period of last year to £3,676, or 49 per cent., showing an increase of £495 against the present year. The working expenses from May 1, 1864, to Jan. 15, 1865, amounted to £72,816, or 37.13 per cent., and those for the year 1863-64 were 38.16 per cent. of the receipts. GRAND TRUNK OF CANADA. The traffic receipts on this company's lines for the week ending Jan. 7 amounted for local passengers to £4,780, for foreign passengers to £1,141, for mails to £642, for local freight and live stock to £12,837, and for foreign freight and live stock to £3,027 ; total, £22,427, against £18,784 for the corresponding week of last year. UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE. OXFORD, Jan. 31. A congregation will be holden on Tuesday, February 7 at two o'clock, for the election of a member of Convocation to be a member of the Hebdomadal Council in the place of the Rev. John Richard Turner Eaton, M.A., Merton Col lege, who has resigned. Votes will be received from two to three o'clock. In a convocation to be holden on Thursday, the 9th of February, at two o'clock, it will be proposed that the Vice- Chancellor be permitted to enter into an agreement on the part of the university for the purchase of the site of the old workhouse and the ground attached. MODERN HISTORY. The Chichelle Professor of Modern History (Mr. Mon. tague Bernard, B.C.L. and M.A., All Souls' College) wil continue his course of lectures on Gibbon during the pre sent term on Fridays, at 12 o'clock. The first lecture wil be given at All Souls' College on Friday, February 3. INTERNATIONAL LAW AND DIPLOMACY. The Chichelle Professor of International Law and Diplo macy (Mr. Montague Bernard, 8.C.L.) will continue his lec tures on Wheaton during the term on the Mondays and Fridays, at 11 o'clock, beginning on Monday, 6th February. Professor Bernard proposes also to give a course of lectures on the elementt of law, embracing the following subjects : The nature and definition of law ; the different kinds of laws, and the place to be assigned to international law ; the different branches of jurisprudence, or the science of law (in its largest sense) ; the meaning of some elementary terms, common, more or less, to all systems of law ; the method, or plan of arrangement, of the institutes and that of " Blackstone's Commentaries" respectively ; the use of the institutes to an English student of law, and the mode of studying the institutes. These lectures will be given on Wednesdays at 11 o'clock, beginning on Wednesday the Bth of February. Gentlemen who propose to attend either of the two eourses are requested to call on Professor Bernard on Friday, the 3d of Februilfy, between 10 and 12 o'clock. ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY. The Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History (Rev. Dr. Shirley, canon of Christ Church) proposes to begin a course of lectures on the " Life and Discipline of the Early Church," in the Clarendon, on Monday, Feb. 6, at 9 a.m. These lectures will be catechetical, and are open to mem bers of the university who have passed at least the first public examination. Gentlemen who wish to attend them are requested to call on the professor, at his house, be tween one and three p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4. CHRIST CHURCH. There will be holden, at Christ Church, on Saturday, the 11th March, an election to junior studentship; whereof one at least will be adjudged, after an examination in ma thematic; one at least after an examination in physical science, and three at least after an examination in classics. These studentships will be of the value of £75 per annum, exclusive of rooms, and will be tenable for five years. Any one will be admissible as a candidate who has not exceeded his eighth term from matriculation. Candidates for clas sical studentships must call upon the dean with certificates of baptism (and, if members of the university, of standing) and of good character on' Monday, the 6th March, at 12 o'clock. Candidates for the mathematical and physical cal science studentships must call, with the same docu ments, on Monday, the 27th Feb., at 12 o'clock. THE SPANISH LANGUAGE. The teacher of the Spanish language in the Taylor In stitution (the Rev. Lorenzo Lucena) will begin his lectures for this term on Monday, Feb. 6. These lectures are free of admission, and open to all members of the University. Those gentlemen who wish to attend them are requested to call on the teacher, at the Taylor-building, on Friday, Feb. 3, between two and three o'clock p.m. A ROYAL PRESENT.—Her Majesty the Queen, in commemoration of the late Royal inspection of the 2d Battalion Coldstream Guards, and as an expression of her pleasure at the excellent state of the regiment at the time of the Queen's visit to the Infantry Barracks, Sheet street, Windsor, has graciously presented two portraits of his late Royal Highness the Prince Consort to the battalion. They are lithograph copies, engraved by J. A. Vinter, of Winterhalter's celebrated picture of the Prince, who is at tired in full uniform as Colonel of the Rifles, and wearing the Star of the Order of the Garter. Beneath each portrait, which is enclosed in a richly carved and gilt frame and sur mounted by the Royal crown, is the word " Albert," the autograph of the Prince. The size of each picture, includ ing the frame, is 42in. by 30in. One of the portraits has been placed in the non-commissioned officers' mess-room, and the other in the regimental library and reading-room, forming very handsome ornaments. In these two commo dious rooms two engravings of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales and Prince Albert Victor, by Holl, from Vernon Heath's photograph, and purchased by the battalion, have also been placed. [A.DvErtmsEmENT.]-11olloway's Pills. These excel lently purifyin g and restorative pills have been honoured by the patronage of all classes for more than the third of a century. In this uncertain climate a few of Holloway's pills, taken occasionally at bed time, will prevent or dispel many tormenting attacks of hoarseness, sore throat, diphtheria, quinsey, and other throat affections, generally very rife in winter. This medicine has been favoured with a preference beyond all other medicines in asthmatical and dropsical diseases, when its antispasmodic, diuretic, and tonic virtues cannot be too highly appreciated. As a diges tive pill, one of Holloway's taken before dinner will insure much comfort to the dyspeptic, gradually restore the stomach's digestive powers, and grant release to much misery. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.—To the student of the art of war we com mend the story of Fort Fisher for its scientific value, and to the general reader for the exceeding interest of the narrative. The fall of this place after a long and terrible fire may not be a deadly blow to the South, but the Federals will look upon it, with justice, as a brilliant success, and be encou raged by it to persevere in their operations against the sea-coast towns which still remain in the hands of their enemy. In this second expedition there was, thanks to the sternness of the Washington Government, no disagreement of opinion, or, at any rate, of action between the commanders. From first to last the navy and the land force were fully in accord, and when the place had been crippled by the incessant fire of the strongest fleet which has been engaged during the war, the troops of General Terry advanced to the attack with a spirit which showed that the disgrace of General Butler had not failed as a warning. Yet the praise is not all on the one side. As the details become more fully known, there is increasing reason to admire the courage and pertinacity of the Confederates. Seldom has so small a garrison in so limited a space had to support such a fire for so great a length of time. The bravery of General Terry's troops is undoubted, but they only advanced to the attack when their opponents had almost crushed by the bombardment of the Federal ironclads. Early on the 13th the operations began, and at a quarter to seven o'clock the signal was given to form line of battle, when a powerful squadron, headed by the Brooklyn, of 26 guns, stood in and began to shell the woods in order to facilitate the landing of troops. In the meantime the plated vessels and monitors took up a position in front of Fort Fisher, and at half-past eight opened on the fort. " Every shot," says the writer who describes the scene in an Ameri can paper, " struck the embrasures, and exploding threw clouds of sand high into the air." While this double fire was going on the troops landed, and by ten o'clock 4,000 of them were on the beach. But the contest between Fort Fisher and the ironclads was the chief work of the day. From eight o'clock in the morning until four in the after noon the monitors poured in ponderous shells at the rate of four per minute, the whole number thrown during that time being no less than 2,000. The fort did not reply with an equal weight of fire, but still left its mark on the attacking fleet. At four in the afternoon the wooden ships were sent to reinforce the ironclads, and at 20 minutes to five o'clock the two divisions, carrying 312 guns, joined in the cannonade. For an hour and a half a storm of fire was poured upon the fort, and the writer whose narrative furnishes us with these details esti mates the number of shots fired during that time at 21,600. " Indeed," he says, " I have no doubt that up to the withdrawal of the wooden walls this even ing not less than 25,000 shells were fired into Fort Fisher." Such was the first day of this memorable attack, and we much doubt whether any single fort in the world has ever been subjected to so tremen dous a fire. All the Friday night the monitors and ironsides kept up an occasional firing ; but this ceased towards morning, and was not renewed until 10 o'clock on Saturday, when the fleet again began firing at short range, calling forth no reply. The third day was Sunday, and was signalised, as has been the case so often, by a decisive conflict. The fire on the part of the fleet became general at noon, and at half-past three o'clock the assault was made. " After three days and nights of bombardment," says the correspondent of the Baltimore American, " Fort Fisher is ours, with all the contiguous works commanding New Inlet." General Terry states that the assault was made at half-past three in the afternoon, but full possession of the work was not obtained until 10 at night. This sufficiently shows the desperate nature of the conflict. The fort was at length taken, with 1,200 prisoners, among them being General lrhiting and Colonel Lamb, who were both-wounded. The Confederate vessels Tal lahassee and Chickamauga were both in the fight, and were driven up the river. Thus fell Fort Fisher, after an attack which had lasted, from be ginning to end, more than 60 hours. From- nine in the morning of Friday until past three in the afternoon of Sunday the garrison had to support the fire of the Federal fleet. Although strong in position, they were no match for the vast forces brought against them. That they resisted so long is sufficient proof of their courage and military qualities. The effect of this occurrence on the con-• tending parties can hardly as yet be estimated. According to their usual habit, the Southerners do not attempt to conceal their chagrin at such a loss, and one of their organs confesses, what some have been disposed to deny, that the capture of Fort Fisher will make the port of Wilmington useless for the purposes of foreign trade. But how far this new defeat will increase their disposition for peace remains as yet unknown. Not so, however, with the North. The exultation produced by this vic tory rather exceeds what might have been expected at a time when the Federals have achieved so many successes. This is perhaps to be explained by the previous failure, which had itself followed the boot less naval operations at Charleston. The revulsion in public feelin g tends to make the North overvalue its last exploit. The power of the fleet, the accuracy with which it was brought into action, frigates and gunboats, ironsides and monitors, each taking up their position and doing the work with the precision of machines, the successful assault on the place coming hard upon the discouraging arguments of General Butler, the fierceness of the struggle, and, finally, the prospect of closing the last great port of the South, have combined to fill the North with new confidence. The Navy is especially highly gratified at having played so distinguished and useful a part. It is the exploits of this branch of the service which will be of most interest to our professional men. It seems to be ascertained that the fire of the fort had little effect on the hulls of the American ironclads. They are said to have suffered little, the marks of the Confederate fire being only certain indentations on their sides, and the shooting away of their boats and the lighter parts of their equipment. If a de spatch which we publish to-day is to be trusted, Admiral Porter believes that hd possesses a vessel which could destroy any ship of the British or French navy, lay our towns under contribution, and chase away anything which we might send to blockade American ports. The ironclads lay for five days within 800 yards of Fort Fisher and re ceived no material injury. If the Confederate guns are capable of comparison with our own, the ques tion of ships against forts may prove to have been considerably advanced by these experiments. Every fight across the ocean should be a lesson for us, and this last deserves to be studied with unusual atten tion. HERALD.—The second attack upon Fort Fisher, the important work which commands the eastern entrance of Wilmington Harbour, was made with the greatest determination, and a reckless disrega rd of the lives of the ,bra v e men who were driven to the assault against a terrible fire from the defenders. We have now received fuller and later accounts of the engagement, which put us more in a position to judge of the immediate effect which the capture of this fort will produce in the military status quo, and its larger bearing upon the pending question as to the power of resistance of works of this kind when matched against a military or naval attacking force, separate or combined. This has been hastily brought forward as the first example in the war " of a strong, well-garrisoned earthwork carried by assault after the good old fashion of storming breaches." It is true that it was finally carried by assault by a land force; but, before the assault, it had been so knocked to pieces by a concentrated fire of a power ful fleet during a bombardment which continued, with short intervals, for three days and two nights, that the task of the assaulting columns was ren dered comparatively easy. If the loss was so great, and the reduction of the fort so difficult, when its defences were crippled, its guns dismounted, its garrison tired out by incessant labour and loss of sleep,we may imagine that, if it had not been for this preliminary bombardment from the sea, Fort Fisher would never have been taken at all. Its history is no argument whatever in favour of the good old system of storming breaches, but rather a proof that, in these days of improved artillery and rifled small arms, that method of assault has be come so desperate as to be all but inapplicable against forts of the first order. The statement in one of the earlier telegrams, that the bombard ment by the fleet continued for 54 hours, is fully corroborated by the letter written by Admiral Porter to the Naval Department at Washington on Jan. 14. He speaks of the siege as being in progress, and is sanguine as to his prospects of success. Early in the morning of the 13th he sent in the ironsides and monitors to within a distance of 1,000 yards from the fort. At half-past 7 a.m. the guns of the fort opened on them, and shortly afterwards the fleet commenced firing. The officers in the wooden ships behind took careful note of the position of the enemy's guns as indicated by the puffs of smoke as they fired on the ironclads. In this first engagement he says the iron ships had the best of it. " Traverse after traverse disappeared, and the southern angle of the fort began to look very dilapidated. The guns were silenced one after the other, and only one heavy gun in the southern angle kept up its fire." The enemy inflicted no damage on the ironclads, though they were hit several times. The wooden ships then steamed up and opened fire with heavy shells, doing great execution. All this was on the 13th. During the night the fire was kept up at intervals. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon of the 13th the troops under General Terry was landed on the isthmus, a part taking up a position across the spit, and fronting Wilmington, another part being pushed cautiously in the direction of the fort. Writing early on the morning of the,l4th, Admiral Porter speaks , of recommencing the bombardment immediate) after breakfast, and it appears that it was continue until 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 15th. ° II the 14th a reconnaissance made by General Ile . rrY poss ible . : satisfied him that a successful assault was The assault, however, was not actually made ti y , 3.30 p.m. on the 15th, and after six and a-11111(j hours' hard fighting the place was carried at t o'clock that night. General Bragg admits tha the greater part of the garrison was captured, a% Colonel Comstock, the chief engineer officer of tt, Federal force, speaks of having taken at least. llo prisoners. The naval officer who speaks of prisoners appears to have been in error. 900, bably the whole garrison did not exceed and for these at least as many Federals were place i , hors de combat. We can n ot, of course, speak P °s- tively on this point, being unwilling to commit Or.. Q selves as deeply as a captious contemporary , la' c , after accusing another of -" a unique misstatem en ,,,;. s a prodigious series of blunders," and divers oti" i .. crimes, immediately places itself in the veil P °6 o tion to which it would consign that sorely sla nder d print. After all, the Times was in the right't i to the Globe was in the wrong, and the confiden t ri ff with which the one has condemned the o ther, l - I t .ii r be confounded as it was by the next telegram, w ' a warning to such critics for some time to come. ~,es the result of the bombardment of Fort Fisher p i n ) , anything, it is that the strongest earthworks maybe overwhelmed at last by a combination of attacks oc sea and land ; but also that a handful of 1, 20° . a 2,000 men in such a position are able to maintained not unequal battle with an immense fleet constructed and armed in the newest modern fashion, assT,. e e by a picked land force of 10,000 men, during °'the days and nights of incessant fighting. In fac t ' si Moral is very decidedly in favour of earthwork s, ter the heroic defence of Fort Fisher will form a b in the history of war, which will be read slu e o n e side with the tale of Fort Sumter, teaching us Y 1 and the same lesson. It is asserted that this . will result in the closing of the harbour of w a t ton against blockade runners, even if it shoal Fort, be the precursor of the fall of that place. ;m e Fisher itself only commands the eastern inlet. "-ell western entrance is still protected by Forts Caslcio and Johnson. If, however, the gunboats Ill' t he alleged, run up the Cape Fear River, a i ,. 11- Aor Federals have obtained possession of its ban' .- s o any considerable distance north of Fort Fi s her, es, as to command the channel before it bran ii .uP.o the entrance of vessels, if not impossible, Ini i o all events be rendered as difficult as into Go harbour of Charleston. The Confederate of vernment will lave to seek for some other Pelo entry along its two thousand miles of coast, Ins, it . is willing to be entirely cut off from comm ton with Europe. Admiral Porter draws a 11 ,, n " from the successes of his ironclads which, we as fess, does not altogether take us by surprise: 7, 4 of are sufficiently accustomed to such exhibitlei - o a ill-bred insolence on the part of the officers k iog statesmen of the American Union. After ta Fort Fisher ha thinks he can . take all the, c ' s rcl and getting into the " Ercles' vein " of Mr. ,w ds and General Watson Webb, he informs his that he could cross the Atlantic in the Mona,u n ,: n ch destroy all the ships of the English and ri a - a d navies, levy contributions on the ports of E u l g bi and France, and persuade those Governme li- for very cogent arguments that it would be better vs , them to show more respect for the United s, O OB If this American Munchausen should eyerivcici itl this way we should be glad to have an oppoi`, of arguing the question with him. We rnigg',„ ' add the Monadnock to the instructive series wens of naval architecture which are gaped aid be l by an admiring crowd at Brompton. It wo ri v ir ai a thousand pities if it foundered with the a d on board before reaching our shores. COUNTRY MARKETS ..... LEEDS-TUESDAY. We have a moderate show of grain at this daY'q lar sa The wheat trade continues very slow, an d to eke set a t o. rather less money than last week must be subnotaliple- Fine barley sells at late rates ; other sorts nearly able. In other o alteion. The average prices articles for n the we e k ending Jan. 30 W ri ere ? Wheat, 39s aid per qr. ; barley, 30s °id ; an 21s 31d. LIVERPOOL—TUESDAY. Of tij° At this day's market there was a small attendanee,o btif, town and country trade, and very little disposition ',3 was evinced. Wheat and flour met with a slow " sA ts °‘l ,l some pressure to sell, were the turn . - oats oatmeal there was very little doing, writes re'iieS nominally as last quoted. The sanyS remark tiPP O o va barley, beans, and peas. Indian coin was neglecte i,ti);eo before the close of the market 26s 6d per 4801 b. Wa s for fine Danube.. MELTON MOWBRAY.—TVEsDAY' foe' White wheat, 41s to 45s ; red, 38s to 42 s per 86.360"-ief Barley for malting, 31s to 33s per qr ; feed, 25s t? 30 stone. The supply of other articles was liinite ' a fair business done, the rates unchanged. SHEFFIELD—TUESDAY. in DS There was a good show of wheat and other g,::;rtid. sample, but owing to the wretched state of the tre 3t ,,',7 l iete,` show in bulk was small. The trade in wheat was 'Etlive' than last week, and late rates were barely inaja Other grain made late rates, but also sold slowly. „Ai lied wheat, per load of 3 imp. bushels Os Od to 9 ; Oa White do do vs Od ' 6s od, New red do do II& Od ' 1 76 el New white do do .., :6s 0d ics 6 1 Beans do do 155 ed 420 0, Peas, per qr. Grinding barley, per qr Maitinebarley, do 3OO Od 356 pd 32s gco Oats, do 219 Od P10ur....1s 5d to is 9d per 141 b. MONMOUTHSHIRE—MoNDAY• At the local markets there has not been a large tf e citi tten 1911:1; anco of either buyers or sellers, and only a f A T ness has been transacted. The r a ther small suPPJ ° grown wheat, and the further reduction in the r• an d , 5 count, have tended to increased firmness in Pri ces " r oteee, rates of last week are fully maintained. Foreigl3r prl' io without alteration, either as regards demand L 9 5 0 Malting barley commands an average sale, and ° 3 ' fair request. . n ll l O Ol 4 The following are the average quotations :--" 29 3s to 5s 8d per bushel ; barley, 3s 2d to 3s id ; 0 °"" to 2s 6d. Foreign Mail Packet List. 4 — t, is , Australia and• New Zealand, via Southampton el . " v. Ditto, via Marseilles el). h S. Brazil and Cape Verds, by British packet Fe' v. Ditto, by British packet Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and t. Helena Fa' 1, China, Penang, and Singapore, via Sou hampton Feb 12. Ditto, via Marseille s Felt, Falkland Islands l, Gibraltar, via Southampto n Feb. I n di a (Calcutta), and Ceylon , via Southampton.... Feb. ~ Ditto, via Marseilles. Feb. '' I n dia (Bombay), via Southampton. Feb' 6, Ditto, via Marseilles ...Feb' i j, Mauritius, via Southampton ....... . . Fel ) ' 5, ~ Ditto, via Marseil'e3. ...re' 16, Newfoundland ,, ,. ,.... .Feb .• ••••• Portugal Feb' Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon... ............ United States and British North America, bYprl" tish packet ...... Ditto, by United States packet, via Southator ton .... . . ................................ Ditto, via Cork Ditto, by Canadian packet, via Londonderri•!r F ep. 0 West Coast of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe...• • West Indies and Pacific) (except Bahamas, C ubs :reb. and Mexico .................. .................. Bahamas, via New York. .......................... Bermuda, ditto .................................... Cuba and Mexico ............ Last week the births of 964 boys and 930 gir CO CO' 1,804 children, were registered in London. In tije , responding weeks of the years 1855-64 the avell'g e (corrected) was 2,084. It Pal kOt 1 P C ?This,_ Noi It i p u SOI F n It enl n , B, GI Births. OA 1 0 . 9 BENTINCX.—On the 31st ult., at 34, L o wndeS-s 1. ' r or' Arthur Cavendish Bentinck, of a son. '7 , Or e , it., BEETON.—On the 29th ult., at Mount Pleas: ll r f.P' hithe, the wife of S. 0. Beeton, Esq F.R. 6 • P ' I of a son. et" FLETCHER.—On the 31st ult., at 48, Green - street 4. • nor-square, the Lady Harriet Fletcher, of a 50n,.„, 0 0 , HERVEY.—On the 29th ult., at 5, Chesham-stree t i ' square, the Lady Augustus Hervey, of a son. 11 Marriages, ~. ~ T 4 , 14331 kt• lIANKEY—MILLER.--On the 31st ult., at .0 0 -°'.' f PLO Church, Marylebone, Frederick, eldest se" ) 1010",691 Hankey, Esq., of Epsom, Surrey', to Marian t , of eldest daughter of Taverner J. Miller, Esq., - I ' . " 1 Of et. Portland-place. t TO P , 6 STEYENS--WKFTTINGHAINI.—On the 28th ult., a.- ti es le-, Benjamin Franklin Stevens, Esq., of 17, Ilenv e f ell'e Covent-garden, to Charlotte, eldest daughte r 1 , - i irf , Whittingham, Esq., Richmond Villas, Barn s " of the Chiswick Press. Deaths. i 4 „, ° 10 111141 ArritEN.—On the 27th ult., at Pinchbeck, ."`" Chi" Andrew Aitken, Esq., aged 51. ~.,„% a t° , CHURCHILL. — On the 30th ult., at Bath, 11 011-, or Esq., aged 83. y, 1 13° „ f oO , COBHAM.—On the 28th ult., at Combe-Raleibi-,L Pe Cobham, Esq., late- of Marley, near Exin' ti ' - ' t 5, aged 54. Vir e ^ GREGORY.—On the 29th inst ,at his resideoc°, ri, Montague-street, Russell-square,. Jonas G reg° O. ft ° solicitor, aged 88. ~n the LECHMERE.—On the 29th ult., at Great 3falve'ig. jefl Maria Clara, Dowager Lady Lechmere, age', hol i° LODER.—On the 29th ult., atWoodb r idge, gr* ' l°- 4. 0 1 V. aged 77. ce, P RADFORD.—On the 28th ult. at 14, Loraine - 110$'way, way, John Radford, E sq ., o f Little Walthan::/ ~ -____------ PDT, s j o London : Priated and Published by WIL LIA-g,t e , 1 0 4 of of No. 112, Strand, Punter , at THE SUN °I'"c0110' Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the Middlesex.—Wednesday, February 1, 1865' V r _ E ~ F,__Tl Rt e 11 li liolill