The Sun. — London, England, 1863-02-17 00:00:00

—fid Tst .r -to be ;DV ton -j red fleet his ) the. it • par.- and ,o the for a halre nee of River. , con- North ldered not a over main- fight, tips of of fire n ever is one )ier or cal re emein- many e arms ,e law, An. Ipt ion order tifica legal 3 wern- other >Jock q uir que,s, Of t the card; 8118 - a fact hing nd to 3ment mmon and !Ei 1140 2es ra- 330 s 420 Is 420 8 38s wheat im e as 1 some i were 1 trade s 400 s 400 8 430 8 380 ^ — "S s 39s s 40s 8 ""S 3 380 I oatfis. ). 12. 10. ). 28. ). 13. ured y the ag of ) get Lind ones, ... 10 ____--. 09, of a 3.x. , the 3-in- hire, ~ of ids., ;Eq., CCa" 'oot, S, NO. ty INLAND REVENTTE, Somerset-house, Feb. 13, 1863. SEAMEN'S ADVANCE NOTES. On the repeal of th e M ercantile Marine Act o r ISSO, Rea men's Advance Notes become liable to Stamp Duty as Bills of Exchanze. As such liability does not appear to be generally known, the Board of Inland }ievenua deem it advisable to give notice that any person who shall make, sign, or issue, or shall acmpt or pay any such note, which is not duly stamped, Rill incur the penalty of £5O. An adhesive stamp cannot be used to denote the duty on Such notes, the l aw requ i r i ng that Ell sof Exchang e shall be 'written upon paper impressed with the appropriate stamp. By order of the Board, T. sAKGENT, Secretary. ARMY CONTRACTS. —TENDERS will be received at this Office until noon on the Rd of March, 2 . ° 111 persons who may be willing to enter into CONTRACTS for the SUPPLY of WOOD for lighting fires in the London the of istrict, in sue " ! quantities as TY ay be required for useher majesty's land forces stationed in any of the ollowing places, from Ist April, 186', to Ist March, 1864 :- 1. Tcy c l e _p .rk And Kensington Palac New Bqrracks. 2. Regent's-park, St. John ' s -wood, and Portman-street Barracks. 3. w el u r gton, St. George's, and Buckingham Palace Bar racks, and Infantry Guards, St. James's-park. 4. The Tower. 6. Hounslow and Kneller Hall. 6. H a mpton Court. 7. Croydon. separate tenders must be made for each of the above-men tioned stations or barracks as separately grouped and num bered. Forms of tender and conditions of contract may be obtained on application at this Office, by letter or in person, between the hours of 0 and 4 o'clock. Tenders On'the printed forms must be properly filled up and signed, and no tender will be noticed unless delivered at the undermentioned office, under dosed envelope (marked on the outside, "Tender for Army Supplies") before noon on the 3d March next. W. H. MATURIN, Deputy Commissary-General. Deputy Commissary General's- ffice, 5, New-street. Spring-gardens, London, S.W., Feb. 10, 1863. ARMY CONTRACTS for FUEL and LIGHT. TENDERS will be received at this office until noon on the 3d of March, from persons who may be willing' to enter into contracts for the SUPPLY of COALS, COKE, and CANDLES, in su h quantities as may be required for the use of her Majesty's Land Forces:end Military Departments in any of the following places, from Ist April, 1563, to 31st March 1864: 1. Hyde -park, South Kensington. and Kensington-palace New Barracks :-850 tons Wallsend coals, 3 tons coke, 1,550 lbs. composite candles, 650 lbs. dip candles. 2. Regent's -park, St. John's-wood,. and Portman-street Barracks :-1,109 tons Wallsend coals, 11 tons coke, 1,685 lbs. composite candles, 3,488 lbs. dip candles. 3. Wellington, St. George's, and Buckingham-palace Bar racks ; Horse Guards, Infantry Guards, St. James's-park, and Royal Prngineer Duukingham-gato z-1,667 tons Wallsend coals, 200 tons Wylam 51 oor coals (for Wellington Barracks), 12 tons coke, 2,206 lbs. composite candles, 1,214 lbs. dip candles. 4. Military Store establishment, Pimlico :-228 tons Walls end coals. 364 tons Dowlar's Merthyr coals, 10 tons Tandeld at oor coals, 400 chaldrons coke, 31.0 lbs. composite candles, 200 lbs. dip candles. 5 . The Tower :-823 tons Wallsend coals, 160 tons Dowlar's Merthyr coals, 10 tons Tanfield Moor coals , 10) tons coke , 920 lbs. composite candles, 200 lbs. dip candles. 6. Hounslow and Kneller-hall :-740 tons Inland best coals, 28 tons coke, 1,000 lbs. composite candles, 4,000 lbs. dip candles. 7. Hampton-court :-115 tons Inland best coals, 150 lbs. Composite candles, 500 lbs. dip candles. 8. Windsor :-1,3( 0 tons Wallsend coals, 6 tons coke, 2,250 lbs. composite candles, 500 lbs. dip candles. 9. Brighton, with Coast Frrts from Newhaven to Shore ham :-645 tons Wallsend coals, 3 tons coke, 1,630 lbs. com posite candles, 6,310 lbs. dip candles. 10. Croydon:-200 tons Wallsend coals, 3 tons coke, 250 lbs. composite candles, 1,500 lbs. dip candles. The quantities above specified of each article of supply are only approximate estimates of what may probably be required within the period of the contract, but the contractor will be held liable to deliver such quantities as may be demanded under competent authority, whether more or less than the above. Separate tenders for fuel and for light must be made for each of the abovementioned stations or barracks as separately grouped and numbered. Forms of tender, and conditions of contract, may be obtained on appli ation at this office, by letter or in person, between the hours of tO and 4 o'clock. Tenders on the printed forms must be properly filled up and Signed, and no tender will be noticed u' less delivered at the undermentioned office, under closed envelope (marked on the outside, " Tender for Army Supplies"), before noon on the 3d March next. W. IT. MATURIN, Deputy Commissary-General. Deputy Commissary -General's Office, 5, New-street, t'piing-gardens, London, S.W., Feb. 10, 1863. PROVIDENT CLERKS' MUTUAL LIFE ASSURANCE ASSOCIATION. Established 1849, The 22d Annual General Meeting of this Association was held on Wednesday, the 4th February, 1863. The Income for the year 1862 was £50,135 0 0 The Accumulated Fund The Rep ,, rt and Balance-sheet may be had on application to the Agents, or at the Chief Office, 15, Moorgate-street E.C. February 5, 1863. WM. THOS. LINFORD, Secretary. GUARDIAN FIRE AND LIFE ASSURANCE COMPANY, No. 11, Lombard -street, London, E.C. Established 1821. Subscribed Capital, Two Millions. DIRECTORS. sir MINTO FARQUHAR, Bart., M.P., Chairman. CHARLES WILLIAM CURTIS, Esq., Deputy Chairman. IG. Shaw Lefevre, Esq. John Martin, Esq. Rowland Mitchell, Esq. } James Morris, Esq. Henry Norman, Esq. Henry R. Reynolds, Esq. lAbraham J. Robarts, Esq. James Tulloch, Esq. Henry Vigne, Esq. 201113. Lewitt Loyd, Esq. I Henry Sykes Thornton, Esq. Cornelius Paine, jun., Esq. Noel Whiting, Esq. T hos. Tallemach, Esq., Secretary Saml. Brown, Esq., Actuary Henry Hulse Berens, Esq., Henry Bonham Carter, Esq. Charles F. Devas, Esq. Francis Hart Dyke, Esq. Sir Walter R. Farquhar, Bart. James Goodson, Esq. Thomson Hankey, Esq., M.P. John G. Hubbard, Esq., M.P. John Labouchere, Esq. AUD: LIFE Tyr ID Th , nNT.—IINDEIt THE PROVISIONS OP AN ACT or PARLIAMENT, this Company now offers to new In siirers EIGHTY PER CENT. of the Profits, at Quinquennial Divisions, or a Low Rate of Premium withoutparticipation of Profits. Since the establishment of the Company in 1821, the Amount of Profits allotted to the Assured has exceeded in rash vahie £660,000, which represents equivalent Reversionary Bonuses of £1,058,000. After the Division of Profits at Christmas, 1859, the Life Assurances in force, with existing Bonuses thereon, mounted to upwards of £1,730,000, the Income from the Lite Branch £207,000 per annum, and the Life Assurance Fund, independent of the capital, exceeded £1,618,000. LOCAL MILITIA and VOLUNTEER CORPS.—No Extra Premium is required for service therein. LOANS granted on Life Policies to the extent of their Values, if such value be not less than £5O. ASSIGNMENTS OF POLICIES.-Written Notices of, re- Ceived and registered. MEDICAL FEES paid by the Company, and no charge or Policy Stamps. FIRE DEPARTMENT.—lnsurances are effected upon every description of property at moderate rates. Losses caused by Explosion of Gas are admitted by this Company. A.D. 1720. ROYAL EXCHANGE ASSURANCE CORPORATION (Established by Charter of his Majesty George the First) FOR SEA, FIRE, LIFE, AND ANNUITIES. Offices, Royal Exchange, London. Branch Office, 29, Pall-mall. OCTAVIUS WIGRAM, Esq., Governor. GEORGE PEARRES BARCLAY, ESq., Sub-Governor. Sir JOHN HENRY PELLY, Bart., Deputy-Governor. DIRECTORS. Rohert Henry Bainbrid ,, e, Esq Wiimot Holland, Esq. a l t re at l t ay ea 'E ta l v . }.• a. Earl of Leven and Melville. Mark Currie Close, VIS q ' S 4 Chas. Jno. Manning, Esq. William Davidson, Esq . . CsTheCharles r r vuHl Samuel e l J s o o o s e, Robinson, SchusterEl ine W Es q . F. P A3 e ci r c y Thomas Dent, Esq. Alexander Druce, 14:sq. Fredk. Jos. Edlmann, Esq. Eric Ca Smith, Esq. Riversdale W. Grenfell, Esq. William Soltau, n Es a llobt. Amadeus Heath, Esq. Joseph Somes, Eaq.: M.P. Wm. Tetlow Hibbert, Esq. William Wallace, 14.15 q. Jas. Stewart Hodgson, Esq. Chas. Baring You ng, Es q . Medical Referee, SAMUEL SOLLY, Esq., F.R.S. NOTICE.— file usual fifteen days allowed for payment of FIRE PREIIILTMS falling due at Christmas will expire on sth January. FIRE and LIFE ASSURANCES may be effected with this Corporation on advantageous terms. In the Lif e D epar t men t , assurances a re granted with par ticipation in Profits, or, at lower Premiums, without such participation. The Reversionary Bonus on British Policies has averaged nearly 2 per cent. p er annum on th e sum assured. Equivalent reductions have been made in the Premiums Payable by persons who preferred that form of Bonus. The divisions of Profit take place every Five years. Life AnY sum not exceeding £15,000 ma y b e i nsure d on one This Corporation affords to the Assured—' Liberal participation in Profits—with exemption from the liabilities of partnership. A rate of Bonus equal to the average returns of Mutual Societies —with the guarantee of a larg,e invested Capital Stock. The advantages of modern practice,—with the security of an Office whose resources have been tested by the ex perience of nearly a CENTURY AND A HALF. The Corporation have always allowed the Assured to serve in the Militia, Yeomanry or Volunteer Corps within the United King d om, free of charge. ROYAL EXCHANGE, LONDON. ROBT. P. STEELE, Secretary. R OYAL FREE HOSPITAL , Gray's-inn-road, in the immediate vicinity of the Great Northern Rail- Way Terminus, at King's-cross. Patron—The QUEEN. President—The Duke of BUCCLEUCH, MG. o cl u p t le th o e f free for_ Treasurer—Edward Masterman, Esq. This was the first hospittahletodiensttirtoudtuecesiclewl)i and instant admission to principle lz , that which is accom- Malay of governors' letters. It is entirely devoted to desti tution in its most pitiable form—viz., it may be rendered Milled by sickness and disease , V and is now of sufficient magnitude that, with adequate support, aery It requires but the 1 4 Pahle of admitting into its wards very large proportion of lee casual sick of this great metroo I Moreover, theseis in order to have 500 beds available for the reception of it t he most wretched of our fellow-creatures . gra tuit ously affords medical advice and m edicine to more, on the average , than 3 000 out-patients a week. The Weekly , ..._ , . A 'ST Ap üblic for ntinued support, E Np hoard feel it their imperative duty to make an PEAL to the p to enable tl daily tern to admit and relieve t edistress present themselves. Contri butions Treasurer , Edward h ing cases that ...a are received by the Coutts and A l "man, Esq., Nicholas-lane; also by Messrs. and ' ; Drummond and Co. ; Flerries and Co. ; Ransom , n •" Co.. Prescott, Grote, and Co. ; Sin'th, Payne, and Co. ; Gly and Co.; Jones Loyd and Co ; 13 1 arclay and Co. ; Denison and Co.; w mains,'Deacon and Co.;Overend, Gurney, and and at the Hospital: ' Co. ; Nisbet and Co • Messrs.' J. B. ' dand arne Co.,. Liverpool; STANFORD S. SMITH, Secretary. OST E 0 EI D ON: Patent, March 1, 1862, No. 560. G ABRIEL'S Self-adhesive Patent Indestructible MINE RAL TEE CH and FLEXIBLE GUMS, without palates, springs, or wires, and without operation, One set lasts a lifetime, and WARRANTED I , OR MASTICATION and A RTICULATIO S, even when all o th ers fail. Purest ma terials only, at half the usual cost. Messrs. GABRIEL. the old-established Deimos, 27, HARLEY-STREET, CAVENDISH-SQUARE; 34, LUDGATE-HILL, LONDON; 65, NEW-STREET, PIRATING HA3I ; and 134, DUE+ -STREET, LIVERPOOL. Complete Sets, 4 to 7 and 10 to 15 guineas. One visit only required from country patients, Gabriers Practical Treatise gratis. Coneultations free, No. 22.039. MISS FREER'S NEW WORK. Now ready, 2 vols., with ortraits, 215., THE LAST DECADE OF A GLORTOUS REIGN : Being the Concluding Part of " The History of Henry IV., King of France and Navarre." From Original and Authentic Sources. By M. W. FREER. Hurst and Blackett, 13, Great Marlborough-street. MR. THORNBURY'S NEW NOVEL. On Friday, Feb. 2a, in 3 vols., TRUE A S S TEEL. By WALTER THORNBURY. Also now ready, in 3 vols., ST. OLAVE'S. A NOVEL. Hurst and Blackett, 13, Great Marlborough-street Now ready at all the Libraries, in 2 vols., A DAUGHTER OF EVE. A NOVEL. By HAIN FRISWELL, Author of "Sham," "Ghost Stories and Phantom Fancies." " A most striking work, full of brilliant descriptions, ex citing incident, and ably-drawn characters."—Sun. Richard Bentley; New Burlington-street. MR. SENIOR'S NEW WORK. Just published, in 1 vol., post Bvo., price 10s. 6d., cloth, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, viz., Sketches connected with the French Revolution, Legal Sketches, and Miscellaneous sketches. By NASSAU W. SENIOR. London : Longman, Green, and Co., 14, Ludgate-hill. MR. KINGLAKE'S " INVASION OF THE CRIMEA." The SECOND EDITION will be published TO-MORROW. Vols. L and 11. Bvo. Pace 325. William Blackwood aad Sons, Edinbnrgh and London. SAWYER'S FAMOUS LONDON DINNER FOR THIS DAY, At 2s. 6d. each Person. SOUPS. Ox Tail. Printanier. FISH Soles Maitre D'Hotei. Fried Whitings. ENTREES. Veal Cutlets, Sauce Tomate. Fillets of Mutton aux Fines Herbes. JOINTS. Stewed Rumps of Beef. Saddles of Mutton. Potatoes a la Lyonnaise. SWEETS. Plum Puddings. Pancakes. Cheese and Salad. An extensive and carefully selected stock of FRENCH, RHENISH, MOSELLE, and other WINES, imported ex pressly for The London Dinner. THE LONDON, 191, FLEET-STREET. CI.ANTERBURY HALL. N..) Great success of the Third Edition of the renowned Pantomimic Entertainment, THE ENCHANTED HASH, thirteen characters, solely sustained by B. Marshall. The Comic by Unsworth, in his celebrated stump speech, "Or any other Man," Eugene, Arthur Lloyd, Frank Hall, and Miss Laura Sanders. GRAS D OPERATIC SELECTIONS, as usual, conducted by Mr. Jonghmans. T H E O X F OR D, 6, OXFORD STREET. Re-appearance of Miss RuaselL ALCESTE (the masterpiece of the renowned Composer GLucX), Supported by the entire company, with full band and chorus. Conducted by Mr. Jonghmans. Other Operatic Selections, Choruses, four-part Songs, Aic. George Hodson's Irish, Miscellaneous, and Ventriloquial Entertainment. Unsworth's great Stump Speech, "Or any other man." Eugene's burlesque Scenas and Dances. Miss Caroline Parkes' Pantomi rule Sketch, " Little Red Riding Hood." W. Randall's New Comicalities, and other varied attractions EVERY EVENING. Hall, 6d.—Balcony and Stalls, ls.—Private Boxes, 10s. 6d. In rehearsal, " HERNE THE HUNTER," a Cantata, composed by W. M. Lutz, Esq., words by 0. Summers, Esq. THE PRINCE of WALES' MARRIAGE will be celebrated at the LONDON PAVILION by a MONSTEE ENTERTAINMENT on the Evening of TUESDAY, the 10th of March. Each visitor will be presented with A HANDSOME SOUVENIR in commemoration of the auspicious event; and no expense or exertion will be spared to characterise the proceedings with that loyalty due to the occasion of the nuptials of Eng land's future King, The London Pavilion, Tichbourne-street. JULLIEN'S PROMENADE CONCERTS. EVERY EVENING at the ARGYLL ROOMS. Great Success.—See opinions of the Press. Conductor—Mons. JULLIE The celebrated Cornet-a- l'iston, Mr. J. LEVY, Will play at intervals from 9 to 12 o'clock. The Concert, composed of Classic I Music from the GREAT MA sTERS, will terminate at a quarter-past Ten, and the Dance music at five minutes to Twelve. Promenade, ls.—Reserved seats, 2s. Doors open at Eight o'clock Manager, Mons. GRENET. THE LONDON ANATOMICAL MUSEUM ; containing the Wonders of Nature and Art, shown by innumerable superbly executed Models, illustratinfr every part of the Human Frame, taciether with a variety of highly interesting Natural Preparations, Malformations, and Mon strosities. Open daily, from 11 to 10 (for Gentlem n only). Admission One Shilling. Entrances 29, George-street, Han over-square, and 44A, Maddox-street, Regent-street, Lon don, W. Explanatory Lecture every Evening at Four. Illus trated and Descriptive Catalogues sent, post free, for twelve stamps. Address the Secretary, as above. THE FARMER'S BAROMETER, 50s. a new Instrument, by 1 , 4 egretti and Zambra, willcor rectly indicate whether the Barometer falls for Rain or for Wind. Particulars by enclosing stamp.-1, Hatton-garden; 57, Comhill ; and 122, Regent-street. ALLEGED SECOND - HAND SAFES. Any PERSON or PERSONS having recently PUR CHASED from Furniture Brokers or Dealers in SECOND HAND FIRE-P NOOF SAFES, any such Safes which WERE STATED To BE OF CHUBB'S MAKE, will oblige by COMMUNICATING with Messrs. Robinson and Hine Haycock, No. E 2, Charterhouse-square, solicitors to Messrs. Chubb and Son. MOORE BROTHERS' TEAS. Choice SOUCHONG, recommended Is. 9d. per lb. suitable for superior purposes, full rich Souchongflavour. M]xed ASSAM, ; , ighly recommended.... ...... 4s. Od. per lb. of very choice quality, and the cheapest Tea sold. ld per lb. deduction on 201 b. Bags and 45Th. Chests. Prospectus free. MOORE BROTHERS, 35, London-bridge, City, E.C. USED by almost , very FAMILY, br all OUT FITTERS, HOTEL-IMPERS , Sic. BOND'S PERNA\ ENT 111 ‘RKING INK (the original) requires no preparation, and is by tar the best for wri ing on Ven dors. . la§btealtitohneeirnsk, Linen, Silk, &c. It affords an indisputable means of identity for Towels, Shirts, Tablecloths, and every variety of wearing apparel. To be obtained of most Drugolsts, Medicine theVen i7n.,otingen iiine U . n , i p te r d ice K i i s n . g p d e o r m . at 28, Long-lane._ West Smithfield City, without which address on bottle.and LUXURIANT WHISKERS, M ous t ac h es , a nd Eyebrows produced in a fe w wee k s b y th e use o f E LLIOTT'S TONIC LOP lON, the stimulative properties of which are untaling in their operation. Thomas Elliott invites a trial from the most sceTtical, that they may be con vinced of its infallible power. Price 3s. ed., 58. 6d., 108. fd., and 21s. Forwarded on receipt of postage stamps.—Thomas Elliott, hairgrower (first floor), 51, Fenchnrch-street. T. E.'s wigs, Z 1 108. TEETH. -13y MR. ESKFLL'S INVENTION (Royal Seal granted 17th July, 1860), Sets or partial Sets of Teeth, exquisitely enamelled to nature, are made and fitted in a few hours by means of his patented soft elastic and imperishable base of the colour of the gum, to which it ad heres with wonderful tenacity, dispensing with springs or unsightly fastenings, and defying detection by tne closest observer. The peculiar attribute of Mr. Eskell's invention is, the readiness with which these teeth can be re-adapted to any change of the mouth (even by the wearer); and as they act independently of all disturbing causes which affect teeth of ordinary constr uc ti on, they are guaranteed tt l as t a lif e time, as well as f or mastication and articulat i on. M r. ESKELL'S TREATISE, which fully explains his invention, post free for seven stamp s . —l nspection of specimens and Con sultations free. Terms strictly moderate. -- ti, Grosvenor street, Bond-street, London ; an d 39, Bennett's-hill, Bir mingham. RUPTURES.—BY ROYAL LETTERS PATENT. WHITE'S MOO-MAIN LEVER TRUSS (PERFECTED AND EXIIIDITED IN THE GREAT XRIRITIONs OF 1851 AND 1862), is allowed by upwards of Two Hundred Medical Gentlemen to ne the most effective nvention in the curative treatment of El ERN I A. The use of a steel spring, so often hurtful in its offects, 'S here avo i ded —a soft bandage being worn round the body, while the requisite resisting power is supplied by the 'floc-Main Pad and Patent Lever fitting with so much, ease , nd closeness that it cannot be' detected, and may be worn 'luring sleep. A d escriptive circular may he ha 4, and the tnurus ent to the manufacturers, which of t Cannot fail to fit, fo rwarded by post, on the cir nference two inches below the hip s , b e i ng , Mr. WHITE, 228, Piccadilly. A Single Truss, 165., 216., 268. 6d., and 31s. 6d. Postage, Is. A Double Truss, 31s. 641., 425., and 525. 6d. Postage, Is Bd. An Umbilical Truss, 425. and 525. 6d. Postage, Is. 10d. Post-oftioe Orders to be made payable to John White, Post -floe, Piccadilly. NEW PATENT ELASTIC STOCKINGS, KNEE-CAPS, ttc., for Varicose Veins and all cases ot Weakness and Swelling of he Legs, Sprains, Bco. They are porous, light in texture, and inexpensive, and are drawn on li/ ean ordinary stocking. Price 4s. 6d., 7s. 6d., 10s., to 16e. each. Postage 6d. _ -•-• THE SOUTHERN CONFEDERACY. (From the gimes' Special Correspondent.) HEAD-QUARTERS OF GEN. J. E. B. STUART, NEAR FREDERICKSBURG, VIRGINIA, Jan. 1. THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 17, 1863. JOHN WHITE. Manufacturer. 228, Piocadilly. A"FFECTUAL REMEDY.-LAMBERT'S ASTHMATIC BALSAM, without confininc , the bowels or affecting the head, truly efficacious and pleasant, is admitted to be the best medicine for immediately relieving coughs, colds, confirmed cases of asthma, and incipient con sumption. It frequently cures persons whom the faculty pronounce in curabie, admirably allays the tickling which pro vokes frequent coughing. In approaching consumption its effects are truly beneficial. Persons deprived of sleep, or even lying down for tear of suffo9tion, may depend on relief in a few minutes after taking it. .Prepared only and sold by W. LAMBERT, Chemist, 8, King William-street, Charing cross, London, and by all druggists, in bottles, 13 0., and three quantities in 'me, 2s. 9d. each. Be particular, and ask for Lambert'a Asthmatic Balsam. The name and ad dress is engraved on the stamp, Yesterday gloomy skies and a murk 3 atmosphere watched over the deathbed of the expiring year, and many a heart in camp turned fondly homeward in anticipation of that peace which it is hoped that the recent fight at Fredericksburg has brought so much nearer, and which was selected as the word for the last countersign of the year. This morning a cloud less sky and a genial temperature usher in the most eventful year which has probably ever dawned upon the continent of North America, and they are ac cepted by the Virginians, over whose beautiful fields and forests the bright sun is streaming, the har binger of that success in which men, women, and children south of the Potomac have never for a mo ment ceased firmly to believe. If the aspirations after peace which are universal throughout the South are interpreted by the North as indicating faintness and feebleness of heart, then will this in terpretation prove as false as the Northern doctrine that there is still Union sentiment, smothered and stifled but ready to burst forth, somewhere in Se cessia. It is needless to repeat what cannot now be unknown anywhere inEngland,that if the,North put a blank sheet of paper into President Davis's hand, and bade him write a constitution for the whole original 34 States, there are not 50 men in the Con federacy who would be willing to enter again on those conditions into partnership with the North. It is not a new constitution and adoitional guaran tees for the protection of slavery that the Confede rates want ; they only ask good faith in the observ ance of the old Constitution—that good faith which no written obligations and stipulations can ever guarantee and insure. The old Constitution is pro nounced by thousands in the North to be a bond of iniquity, " a compact with hell ;" but when the South desires to sunder that bond and set free New England from participation in this compact, some such words as " Southern wealth and North ern profits" are whispered throughout the North ; and to maintain the connexion between them thou sands of millions of dollars and hundreds of thou sands of lives are given, when a tithe of the sum lavished upon this war would have paved the way, without the expenditure of a single life, to the abatement of those evils in the system of slavery which both North and South agree in condemning. It is strange on a calm day like the present to mount the commanding hill from which Gen. Lee surveyed the recent action before Fredericksburg, and to contrast the stillness and repose of the scene with the hurly-burly of battle, and fire and smoke, and the death tumult of Saturday, Dec. 13. Below Marye's heights stretch the long low mounds be neath which the countless Federal dead sleep their last long sleep; nor is there in this spot any other evidence than these mounds, and a few dead and still unburied horses, of the fearful struggle upon which these heights so lately looked down. But as the observer travels eastward along the ground oc cupied by the Confederate lines, and examines the position held by Gen. A. P. Hill's troops, he will find abundant evidences, in the shattered trees and the furrowed hillsides, of the fury with which the battle raged along the Confederate right. Just on the spot where a perfect tempest of round shot and shell appears to have rent the forest, and , where every tree is studded with bullets, is the station which Gen. Jackson occupied throughout the action. When I noticed to him three days ago that his position must have been most perilous and uncomfortable, he quietly observed that he had been in many hotter fires than that which were poured upon him at Fredericksburg. In a former letter I observed that the Confederate force which General Lee thought proper to detach from his army of Northern Virginia, with a view to employing it against Gen. Burnside's force at Fredericksburg, did not, in my opinion, exceed 90,000 men. Of course, in this estimate I do not include the reserves which, had they been required, Gen. Lee could have com manded, but for which it is abundantly appa rent (jndging from his address to the army, which I enclose), that there was little necessity. In that address, which, like everything which emanate from General Lee's pen, makes the least rather than the most of his success, he states that less than 20,000 of his men encountered the vast host of Gen. Burn side. It is a modest estimate of the slaughter which these 20,000 men inflicted upon the Federals, to compute that each Confederate engaged killed or wounded one of his enemies. It will be sufficient now to state that, although there seems in the minds of several of the Confederate Generals a disinclina tion to employ more than 100,000 men in any one army against their foe, be his numbers what they may, it will, nevertheless, be found by the Federals, whenever they resume their crusade upon Rich mond, that they will be met, if need be, man for man, be their advance through the Shenandoah Valley, or Fredericksburg, or Suffolk, or the coast of North Carolina. The return this evening of General Stuart and his staff from another of those successful raids in which he has so frequently indulged has shed a glow of cheerfulness throughout the camp, and has afforded much merriment by reason of the incidents which accompanied this expedition, and of which every one is talking. It appears that General Stuart started upon Christmas-eve with a considerable force of cavalry in the direction of Dumfries,' dis tant about 30 miles from these headquarters. Thence he proceeded towards Occoquan Creek, where, as well as at Dumfries, he had skirmishes with the enemy, during which he took about 200 prisoners, and inflicted some loss upon them, himself sustain ing the loss of only man, Captain Bullock (a very gallant officer), who, it is feared, was mortally wounded. After crossing Occoquan Creek, General Stuart struck the Orange and Alexandria railroad, and at Burke's station burst into the room where the telegraph operator was at work, and commanded him, upon pain of instant death if he misinterpreted, to read off the messages which the click of the in strument pronounced to be at that moment passing along the wires. In this manner General Stuart learnt the movements which Gen. Heintzelman and other Federal Generals were concerting with a view to intercepting his retreat, and altered his course so as to baffle their preparations. The luckless tele graph operator and his fellow-prisoners—all of them dismounted cavalry soldiers—were started off on foot to walk 45 miles to Culpepper station, in order might learn by practical experience what a tha lo t they ng and weary travel was requisite to carry them to that Richmond which they have been so long in reaching. The submarine telegraph clock found at Burke station is now a valuable acquisition at Gen. Stuart's headqu arters, and will p robabl y be the guide by which many a future reveatee and tattoo will be sounded. After leaving Burke's sta tion Gen. Stuart proceeded towards Alexandria, within eight miles of which town he turned towards the north-west, and returned hither by a circuit which brought him through Warrenton—which town was occupied by a large body of Yankee cavalry a fuw hours after Gen. Stuart had passed through it and Culpepper, thus concluding an expedition less important, bat not less successful, than its prede cessors. Au rests, t he materialtw o ant agonistic ha nge without an y ground which they held before the b attle the same of Fredericksburg, . and from which neither of them r m m e i . es still occupy seems at present dis posed to withdraw. It is certain Lee will that Gen. never permit the Federals to occupy Fredericksburg, and to convert it (as they are known eagerly to de sire) into a vast entrepot of stores and munitions of war, which might serve as a base whence to com mence another expedition against Richmond next spring. The sufferings of the inhabitants of Frede ricksburg, who have lost everything which they pos sess upon earth, are likely to be protracted through out the winter; for in the present menacin g att i tude which the two armies preserve in regard to the Vd d 6/ Ae .~- •-. 71 1 . ' Nimi s ' Olt :4 1‘' WO .k.'j • , „ Drli. ~11 Pt. - --. 4.) - ; - 'MOLT. ord " ( 4.. " 1111-4- town it is impossible for its former inhabitants to return to their ancient domiciles. Much sympathy has been evinced towards these hapless sufferers, and it is expected that by Gen. Lee's army alone not less than 100,000 dole. will be subscribed to wards their relief. It is singular to notice the in terest which the negroes in camp take in this sub scription, which they imagine is calculated iu some manner to injure the Yankees, and to which they therefore show great alacrity in contributing. As an instance, four adult negroes and a boy at Gen. Jenkins' head-quarters subscribed to the Fredericks - burg fund no less a sum than 22 dols. Whatever may have been the feeling of the slaves in North ern Virginia in reference to emancipation at the commencement of the war, it is certain that they now entertain towards the Yankee a mingled feel ing of abhorrence and terror, which is continually increasing, and is stimulated by the reports which reach them of the misery of the runaway negroes at Washington and Harper's Ferry, and Craney Island. At this latter pine, which is near For tress Monroe, it is reported that a large body of negroes are kept in a kind of confinment by the Federal authorities, in a miserable state of dirt, listless apathy, and disease. It is found that no work can be extorted from them by hope of re ward, or any of the stimulants which provoke the white man to industry, ,-k,nd the Washington Cabinet has the option - ut Wowing t'•em to starve or driving them back into captivity. Ludicrous stories are told about the want of suc cess which has attended the efforts of the Federal generals upon the coast of South Carolina to drill and make soldiers out of negroes. It requires a thousand white soldiers to guard night and day a thousand negroes, to whom arms have been commit ted, and prevent their bolting with the muskets in trusted to them. When the negroes are called upon to fire, the scene, as described to me by an eye-wit ness, baffles belief. Some fall flat on their faces, others scramble up trees, nearly all fli ng awa y th e i r muskets, and endeavour to break ou t o f t h e ran k s . IfFresident Lincoln, and Mr. W en d e ll Philli ps , and General Butler could witness the eagerness with which every Southerner who is acquainted with negro nature welcomes the news that many negro regiments are being organised at New Orleans and elsewhere, they would have qualms about em ploying the African as an engine of war, and would probably incline to the belief universally entertained throughout the South, that no bette r me th o d o f transferring muskets to the hands of South ern sol asked wheth er h e i d n i e e l. a s o could e asily d i t h free negroes I ha v e I n many conversations never wouid r met at h eorn bee twho,reeor rn have being a master, did not re spond that he would prefer a good and kind master to freedom. It is useless to disguise the fact that liberty in the eyes of the negro mean s s i mp l y immu nity from work. In tropical climates, such as the island of Hayti, where the ground teems sponta neously with yams, and the trees bend under the weight of their fruit, the negro basks in the vertical sun, and is in Paradise. But in such a climate as Virginia, where life cannot be supported without manual labour, the negro needs the guidance and support of the white man, and is conscious of this want. Philanthropists of all ages and all countries have loved to paint an African Utopia, in which the negro might be awakened to the dignity of self supporting work, and might be taught the blessing of unassisted independence. It was after such an Utopia as this that " Old John Brown" yearned , and his ignorance of the constitutional tempera ment of the negro cost him his own life, while no man, white or black, was the gainer by its sacrifice. The remark lately made to me at Richmond, to the effect that this war would soon be brought to an end if 50,000 aged and infirm negroes and negresses were driven into the Federal lines, and thrown upon the Federals for their support, shows no inconsiderable acquaintance with human nature, both black and white. Generals Lee, Longstreet, and Stuart continue to occupy the same head qu Irters in which they had been living for nearly a month before the battle. General Burnside, on the contrary, is said to have piked his head quarters nearly halfway between the town of Fredericksburg and Acquia. Creek. Upon every bright day the Federal balloon is ob served floating in the sky, but the experience of 20 months of warfare has taught the Confederates how little formidable such engines of warfare are, and very little heed is given to the learned professor about whose movements in the air the Northern journals have so much to say. But if in respect of balloons science has proved an inadequate coadjutor of Bellona, it must be confessed that upon another element she has incontestably asserted her supre macy. I allude to the superiority of the modern rifled cannon, and more especially of the Whitworth guns in the hands of the Confederates. It is im possible too highly to praise the performance, a field gun, of the 20-pounder Whitworth. There is no other gun upon this continent which can com pare with it i n li g ht ness , in precision, and in length of range. A ga i n an d aga i n one single Whitworth gun has forced Federal batteries to change their position, and eventually to fall back. The only objec tion here entertained to the Whitworth is the ab sence of shell which may be projected from it. The Confederate. Ordnance Department has invented a shell which, it is hoped, will suit it, but I am not aware that it has, as yet, been successfully tried. Be this as it may, there has been more joy among the Ordnance officers over the arrival of five more Whitworth guns, which have just arrived safely at Wilmington in the steamer Giraffe, then there would be at the capture of 100 such guns as were in posi tion on both sides at the battle of Fredericksburg on the 13th of last month. It is curious to remark how luck alternately favours and deserts the vessels which attempt to run the blockade. At this moment hardly a day passes without the announcement that some vessel has successfully run into Charleston, Mobile, or some other Southern port ; and, inasmuch as most of these vessels are the property of the Con federate Government, and bring cargoes of which the value at this moment can hardly be estimated, it will be understood that the profits of the venture do not go into the pockets of mere speculators, but, through the agency of the Government, find, their way to the Confederate soldier and citizen. Unques tionably the Confederate Government could afford hereafter to lose many of its vessels in consideration of the success which has recently attended its in fraction of the blockade. RICIIMOND, Jan. 4. Having been my own courier, and having con veyed this letter as far as Richmond, it is de si:abla th a t I should add the latest impression s en tertained here in regard to the important battle at Murfreesborough, which raged during the last day of the departed and the first day of the current year, with a fury and vehemence which has throughout this war characterised the engagements of the West, and which culminated last summer at the dreadful battle of Shiloh. It should be premised that the attack directed by General Rosecrans against the Confederate lines at Murfreesbornugh was rendered necessary by the fact that the Confederate cavalry had got into his rear, and had cut off the communi cation between the important towns of Louisville and Nashville. General Rosecrans had no option but to advance against the Confederates, and, if possible, clear them out of Tennessee, or to fall back upon Nashville and abandon the whole of Eastern Tennessee to the Confederates. He chose the former alternative, encouraged by the fact that his own arm y o utnumbered Gen. Bragg's two to one, an d that he believed Gen. Bragg to be additiorpilly weakened by the recent withdrawal of a large de tachment from his force. It is understood that the li ne s occupied by Gen. Bragg at M urfreesborough were selecled by President Davis and Gen. John ston, and that the great object of fighting a battle when the disparity of forces Was su _ great wa s to prevent cooperation between the force of Gen. Rosecrans in Tennessee and the force under Gen. e u ~~, Plymouth in his flagship, the screw steam frigVe Sutlej, 35, Capt. M. Connolly, on Dec. 11 last.. The paddlewheel steamer Locust, which is being fitted as a supernumerary tender to the Chatham steam reserve, is ordered to be fitted with Lumley's, patent rudder and steering apparatus. This vessel_ being employed exclusively on harbour service it is. of the utmost importance that she should be able to turn in the smallest possible space, an advantage obtained by the use of Lumley's rudder... In order to facilitate the coaling of vessels of war at Chatham and Sheerness, an operation which now causes considerable delay, Admiralty directions have been received for one of the spare steam en gines now in store to be fitted on board the Ocean coal depot, in ord er th a t th e wor k o f coa li ng u p th e various steamvessels, which now occupies some days, may be completed in a few hours. Au Admiralty order has been received at Chatham announcing that the percentage charge able to all officers on hoard vesse l s o f war f ur use of furniture, mess fittings , &c., is reduced from 7 7 1- to 5 per cent. Directions have also been received to fill up and keep complete in store the several articles of olectro-piate, cutl t ry, linen, china, glass, &c., required for . all ships in the first division of the steam reserve with the exception of gunboats. Letters received at Portsmouth by our corre spondent from Barbadoes, dat e d Jan. 22, announce the arrival there that morning of her Majesty's screw transport Adventure, Commander's'. B. _Leth bridge, with the head-quarters of the 3d West India Regiment from Jamaica. This vessel was appointed to sail for the Gambia, west coast of Atrica, on Jan. 24. The Adventure, since leaving England on Nov. 1, 1862, had done remarkably well, and steamed no less than 9,711 nautical miles. She arrived at Madeira on Nov. 9, and left again on the 11th. Jamaica was reached on the 28th of the same month. There t rtillery taken out from Wool wich was diserrl ,cl, and the 3d corn - ly of the 14th Regiment, and the 2d company 3-. , est India Regiment, taken on board. The ship left for St. Lucia on Dec. 3, where she arrived on the 10th, discharged the troops on board and took others on board for Barbadoes, where she arrived on the She again exchanged troops and sailed on the 13th for Demerara, where she arrived on the 16th. Ex changes of troops were next carried out with Trini dad on the 17th, Barbadoes again on the 20th, Jamaica Dec. 29, Belize (Honduras) Jan. 2, 1863, Jamaica the 13th, and, finally, Barbadoes on the 22d. Other letters received by our correspondent state that the Adventure sailed at 4 a.m. on Jan. 24 for Sierra Leone, the Gold Coast, and Lagos, to relieve the troops stationed at those places. The Bombardment of Acapulco. PANAMA, Jan. 25, 1563. The enclosed is a translation of a letter received in this city from an eye-witness of the bombard ment of Acapulco by the French fleet. The writer is a Mexican, but gives a very correct and reliable account of the whole affair, which has been confirmed by other parties. It is evident that the Mexicans had a very respectable force on shore, and for that reason the French concluded it would not be prudent to remain on shore or in the port, and were compelled to leave for some other port where they could get fresh provisions and other supplies. During the bombardment the Mexi can flag was shot down three times; but the mo ment it fell they hoisted a new flagstaff. The Mexi cans conducted themselves with great bravery, and deserve credit for the gallant manner in which they defended their forts and city. ACAPULCO, Jan. 17, 1863. I will herewith give you an account of what has happened with the French squadron on the days of the 10th, 11th, and 12th inst. On the m3rning of the Bth came in sight the Pallas, the Galatea, the Cornelie, and the Diamant. Soon after the latter advanced with a white flag, making the following demands on the citizen Go vernor of the State, Diego Alvarez, as I have un derstood them : 1. That satisfaction should be given for and the official report made to the Government by General Ghiurdi, in connection with the Bayonnaise, be re tracted. 2. That the fortifications be dismantled outside, as they were nothing for such naval batteries, as they were only composed of two old 24-pounders, mounted on old marine carriages. 3. That they should be permitted to take in water and coal, and also provisions. All of which was denied to them, although Mr. Van Brunt and others used their best endeavours to get some concessions for them. On the 9th their pretensions underwent some modification, to the effect that the Admiral aban doned the point of exacting the dismantling of the fortifications, but insisted upon the others ; and the captain of the Diamant added the threat that in the space of two hours they would sweep all the forti fications clean. Although Gen. Alvarez fully under stood the d;sadvantages of our old artillery, badly mounted and of short reach, in comparison with their modern pieces, he refused all their exactions with much dignity, adding, that if the French squa dron entered the port he would fire upon it. The resolution was communicated to them at 6 p.m. on the 9th. On the 10th, between 8 and 9 a.m., the French squadron entered, the Diamant towing the Galatea, and the Pallas the Cornelie. At 9 a.m. exactly the forts Hornos, Cameron, Grifo, and Can delaria opened fire about the same time. This last fort of the Condalaria had only a 12-pounder and another small piece, while our artillery were saved although dismounted. The look-out fort, called I. Alvarez, opened fire likewise. But pretty nearly all the forts had no piece large enough to reach the squadron. Particularly the guns of the Grifo and the Hornos were silenced immediately, as the pieces were dismounted by the enemy's projectiles, which came down on them in regular showers, or perhaps the carriages were too old already to stand the shock of firing. The Fort Cameron, which is nearly down at the entry of the harbour, probably fired the most shots. The Cora mandante of it, citizen Camilo Bracho, held out firing on the enemy until he had no guns left to oppose. The Candalaria also fired many shots. It appears that the Pallas was struck by a ball fired from the Cameron just above her water-line, by which she must have been severely damaged. Zhe fort Candalaria, which had but one gun, was ob served by the United States ship Saranac at anchor in a corner of the Tambuco, and the Americans had to admire the valour of our soldiers fighting there, as they only left it with their small gun when all their ammunition had given out. Our forts were mostly without parapets. The commander of the Cadalaria was so much heated or fatigued that he took off his coat, taking " fresco" under a shower of bombs and balls of great calibre. Great things these French have done. When they observed that not a single soldier left in the forts—all situated near the water s edge—they jumped ashore to finish the bek guns rebreaking or rollin g them into the water. left, which they rea dil y acc omplished by either While they disemb ar k e d from t h e i r vessels they were protected by a heavy figover the ground they moved to. They fired firing n sixty-pound bomb-shells out of rifled cannon. All this occurred on the 10th. On the 11th and 12th only the Pallas continued shelling the fort Alvarez. When they ceased firing, the fort answered by a few shots, but none of them reached the enemy, a l a l s t h c o o ug nt these t o w s e e r n e d t h u e bests her of bombs a r guns.ir three The d P a a y l s — sixty-pounders out of rifled cannon—and fired in all about 1,300 shots, until the evening of the 12th, when the whole squadron left in the direction of Manzanillo and Mazatlan without obtaining any thing they demanded. Of our troops about eight or nine were killed; wounded but few. The city suffered a good deal, too, by the bombs that fell into it by accident. Several houses were set on fire, and others more or less injured. The house of P. Ravarte and Co. (formerly the house of Azuyeta, Huarte, and Co.) burnt down almost one half, causing a loss of merchandise, &c., of from 20,000 to 30,000 dollars, without counting the ma, terial of the house. Several poor families, who had deposited here their few possessions, lost all by the fire. BANK ROBBERY AT MANCHESTER. —Between Saturday night and yesterday morning an entrance was effected by thieves into the new premises erected in pall-mall, Manchester, and occupied by the Bank of Man chester, who abstracted from an old safe a quantity of gold and silver, amounting to 4060 4s. The principal safe had resisted all attempt to force it open. The thieves appear to have gained access through a wall from an adjoining build ing, in whi c h t h ey had secreted themselves b efore it was locked up on Saturday. Grant near Oxford, in Mississippi, which is threat ening Vicksburg. It was fully expected that Gen. Bragg would b e d e f ea t e d, b u t time was the great desideratum in or d er t o ena bl e Gen. Johnston to mature his preparations at a point further South which it is not advisable at present to mention, and to take that prominent part in the Western cam paign which he is expected to assume before many weeks have flown. The battle of December 31 seems, judging by the destruction of Federal officers announced in the Northern journals, to have been one of the most sanguinary of the war. The results of that day's fighting were the capture by the Confederates of 4,000 prisoners, 25 pieces of artillery, and the destruction of six more, and simultaneously the cavalry of Generals Wheeler and Wharton was engaged in destroying long waggon trains belonging to the Federals, and inflicting upon them a loss which, in that devastated and inacces sible country, may be pronounced irreparable. Upon the first day of the New Year the battle was re sumed, and again it is believed here that victory inclined to the Confederate side, and that a strong position of the Federals which resisted all attacks upon the 31st of December was abandoned by them upon the following day. But it was found by Gene ral Bragg that the Federal forces had only fallen back a short way and had got behind intrenchments, and that, moreover, they had been heavily reintorced. His own army was in no condition, after two days of severe fighting against a greatly superior force,to resume operations, and in compliance (as is here said) with the instructions of General Johnston, General Bragg fell back upon a strong position at Shellyville, leaving his enemy's army shattered and decimated, according to Northern accounts, to an extent far exceeding the anticipations entertained here at the time when the battle began. It cannot be denied that such a battle as that at Murfreesborough is, at this moment, a great gain to the Confederates. It is probable that both armies are so weakened and exhausted that neither of them will be able to resume operations for many weeks. In the meantime General Grant must pro ceed in his aggressive movements upon Vicksburg without any assistance from General Rosecrans. The great anxiety of the moment is whether that heroic little city will be able to hold out if attacked simultaneously by General Grant's land force and by a flotilla on the river. There is, it is true, some where in the neighbourhood of Jackson a Confede rate force, the nucleus of that army which General Johnston is hereafter to command. But it is pos sible that it may have to fall back before the large force commanded by Gen. Grant, which is estimated at 60,000 men, and which is reported to have been, or to be about to be, joined by General M'Clernand's army, loosely estimated at 30,000 more. Evidently the struggle for the possession of the Mississippi is destined this winter and next spring to be fiercely contested. It is incontestable that if the spring breaks and finds the river from Vicksburg to Port Hudson still in the hands of the Confederates, the North-West, which is already grumbling, will grow intolerant of the further duration of the war, and will make the best terms it can with the power which commands the key to the Mississippi River. It is hoped by the North that the capture of Vicks burg and Port Hudson will reopen navigation be tween St. Louis and New Orleans. Nothing is, in my opinion, further from the troth. A few six pounders placed on any of the numerous bluffs along the river would effectually bar the passage of every trading vessel, and disappoint the commercial as pirations of St. Louis and Cincinnati. But the bisec tion of the Confederacy which would result if that great aorta of this continent, the Mississippi River, was throughout its whole length controlled by the Federals, would be a heavy blow to the Govern ment at Richmond ; and with this fact in view the tsa e be a n sirdssn continentaPe s do t dr w it i o o rd n as Huds o no significance P bel i evesmr e n s s i d t e b n e t h. that D e lv a dl v itca i s kt , issat bhl an a nhr t gae zn ‘ ca V earon ik d c us;b : e b gp u ion r sg g fact that one of the highest military au th or i t i es upon de fended by 15,000 men against any possible attack, by whatever number of assailants it may be con ducted, upon its land side. The President has returned from his long tour in the West and South, looking decidedly better than when I last saw him. He is in excellent spirits at the prospects of the Confederate armies both in the East and West, and responded to a sere nade in his honour upon his return to Richmond with that quiet dignity which seems never to desert him. The following words employed by Mr. Davis on the occasion in question, and addressed to his fellow-citizens, seem to me so appropriate that I cannot forbear quoting them here : " You have shown yourselves to be in no respect degene rate sons of your fathers. You have fought mighty battles, and your deeds of valour will live among the richest triumphs of Time's ample page. It is true you have a cause which binds you together more firmly than your fathers. They fought to be free from the usurpation of the British Crown, but they fought against a manly foe. You fight against the offseourings of the entire earth. Men who were bound to you by the compact which they and their fathers had entered into to secure to you and your posterity for ever net only the rights enunciated in the Declaration of hide pendence, but also those which Virginia, when she acceded to the Federation of the United States, plainly and wisely reserved for herself, now come to you with their bonds steeped in blood, robbing the widow, destroying houses and property, warring against non-combatants, seizing the gray haired father and plunging him into a dungeon because he refuses to be a traitor to the principles of his fathers and the land that gave him birth. Every crime that could characterize the conduct of demons has marked the course of the invader. The Northern frontier of Virginia hasbeen ruthlessly desolated, the people deprived of their means of subsistence, their household property destroyed, and every indignity and outrage which a merciless and ingenious foe could invent inflicted, without regard to age, sex, or conditon. They have murdered prisoners of war, they have plundered the defenceless, and exhausted their malignant ingenuity to bring the deepest destitution upon those whose only offence is that their husbands and sons are fighting for their homes and their liberties. Every crime, from sacking and burning defenceless and unoffending towns to the stealing of silver forks, has marked their shameless career. In New Orleans General Butler has exerted himself to earn the execrations of the civilised world, and now returns with his dishonours thick upon him to receive the plaudits of the only people on earth that does not blush to think he wears the human form. . . Do they hope to reconstruct the Union by striking at everything which is dear to man? To such a depth of disgrace and infamy have they fallen that were the question proposed to you whether you would combine with Yankees or hymnas, I trust there is not one Virginian but would respond, ' Give me the hymnas War is an evil in every form, but it has sometimes its pal liating circumstances. This is a new Government, formed of independent States, each jealous of its own sovereignty. It is necessary and advantageous that it should be tried in the severe crucible in which we are being tested, in order to weld us together. The enjoyments and comforts we have been forced to renounce, the long agony of anxiety we have endured, the unceasing labours we have undergone, the glory which we have conjointly secured, have combined to make us a band of brothers, and may we be united and harmonious for evermore. When peace and prosperity re turn, may we go on assisting each other to developo the great political principles upon which our Government is based, and the boundless natural resources which have been committed to our keeping. To an appreciation of the deep significance of the former we are at length awakening. In the latter direction we are displaying unexampled energy. Our mines have been made to yield long-neglected wealth; our manufactories start up as if by magic. lam not blind to the increasing power of our enemy, but mark that our own has been proportionably far greater, untilhlatese the future nothing to mar our attainment of that indepen dence for which we shall never cease to sotnrudgen,te Now we hope ago many were depressed, and some nervesand resolve ever areevery a r seen in Withe v er y a eaye eh,unconquerableathomespainridt and shall continue to such heroic men in the field, we are, be, invincible." and noble ad ne women P livered with that suppressed It will be believed th re a s t se s d uc e h ne w rg o y rd w s h as ie t h he e s h e a , r t tenses President Davis" style of speech, found an echo in the breast of every listener. But, though the of this mightiest of struggles for inde pendence cannot be far distant, it would seem that there are likely to be troubled times be fore the haven is reached. A fierce contest for the possession of the Mississippi Valley must be fought out to a decision, General Burnside's /7 PRICE.-- —..4d. STAMPED ....sd. host still impends over the northern frontier of Vir ginia, and even if it be true that his numbers are diminished by the subtraction of General Sumner's corps, there yet remains a mighty army which will continue to engage the attention of General Lee. Upon the coast of North Carolina a Federal force estimated at 48,000 men is gathered at Newbern, and threatens Wilmington, while as large a force is likely to descend from Suffolk and co-operate with the force from Newbern. In Hampton Roads another large flotilla, the destination of which is unknown, threatens the whole Southern coast, while General Banks, with the forces lately carried by him into New Orleans, is likely to ascend the Mississippi and co-operate with the descending flotilla, commanded by Flag Officer Porter. If the energy of the Federal forces in the field equalled the energy which their authorities display i❑ again and again marshalling their hosts, and sending them forth to fight, it would have been im possible for the Confederates, hampered by blockade and destitute of almost everything that is requisite for either army or navy, to have resisted for nearly two years these übiquitous onslaughts. But, what ever may be the qualms of an unrestricted looker on, never was the spirit of the Confederate authori ties more cheerful or confident; never was their conviction that this last and mightiest effort of their antagonists will be as futile as its predecessors more firmly entertained, or more unflinchingly acted on. Naval and Military Intelligence. -. THE NAVY. Lord Clarence Paget, Secretary to the Board of Admiralty, arrived at Portsmouth from town on Saturday, and visited the Royal Sovereign, con verting to a turret ship in the dockyard, under the direction of Capt. C. P. Coles, R.N. As we stated last week, there are about 100 hands altogether employed upon the ship. Six of her armour plates, three on each side, are being bolted on, and, so far as the external work of the ship's conversion is con cerned, she is now ready to receive the whole of her armour plating from below her water line to her topsides. To receive this part of her armour the ship has been strengthened outside with two layers of diagonal teak planking, the inner layer being of three and the outer of four inch. This diagonal strengthening extends lift. 9in. below the part of her topsides to which she was originally cut down. The lower ends of this diagonal planking rest in worked rabbits of longitudinal planking added to the original bottom of the ship, which project suffi ciently far beyond the level of the diagonal ends to form a shelf on which will rest the lower edges of the lower tier of armour plates. The lowest part of this longitudinal planking is 14ft. 10in. from the point to which the ship was originally cut down. The ship was cut with a sheer forward and aft„ which Capt. Coles afterwards disapproved. The result was that the ship's topsides were filled in and raised, the greatest extent being amidships, where it was about 18in. Standing upon the upper-deck beams of the vessel, their form at once attracted attention. Sloping downwards from the centre in all directions, to allow of the required depression of the guns in the turrets, the appearance of the Royal Sovereign's upper deck, when complete, will be as nearly as possible like the under part of a butcher's tray, thus forming the glacis of the gun towere or turrets. The work of the ship, such as is in hand, or has been in hand, is being carried out in the most substantial manner. Thus it is almost impossible to create in the position any thing more massive and stable than the deck beams and supports of the upper deck. Where the towers stand, or rather are to stand, the original wooden beams have, of course, been removed, and their places taken by short rolled iron beams from the Butterly Works, which extend from the ship's side to the crown of the glacis at its junction with the tower. Where the removal of the original beams has not been necessitated by the fitting of the towers they have been retained, and to give the necessary slope outwards to the deck they have been doubled over by other beams. As 1n instance of the size of and distance between the beams thus doubled over we may mention that the beams forward of the fore most turret and abaft the aftermost one are 25ft. 2in. in depth and lft. Sin. in width, of solid timber. Six of these double beams, in addition to massive inner strengthenings, are between the vessel's stern and forward turret,the distance between each beam being üb,)ut 241't, 4in. Amidships the beams are even closer and are alternated with rolled iron beams secured to longitudinal iron beams, clear of the turrets amid ships, where not extending right across the deck, by stout U-shaped knees. The height of the origi nal wooden beams from the deck below is exactly 6ft., but where the old wooden beams have been re moved altogether and short iron ones substituted, as in the make of the turrets, an additional height is gained of 18in. at the combings of the hatchways and 14in. at the ship's side. The Royal Sovereign, as a turret ship will, without doubt, be very different from the American turret vessels, and when com pleted and fit for sea service there is no earthly rea- 1 son apparent at present why she should not go as far to sea as her coals will carry her. She has not been built expressly for a turret ship, and there fore, when tried, allowances must be made for certain qualifications which she will possess and which she would have done much better without. The Admiralty have also decided that she is not to be masted, and consequently she will be unable to steady herself at any time by her canvas. With all the faults which can possibly be summed up against her, however, the Royal Sovereign will solve the problem as to whether guns of much heavier calibre can be worked better on the central than on the broadside principle,—in fact, whether a gun of 20 tons cannot be worked more efficiently and with greater ease from a turret than a gun of seven or eight tons can ever be ex pected to be worked through a broadside port. The greater the facilities afforded to the crew of a gun for its working by its position on a ship's deck at sea the greater must be the efficiency of the ship the guns of which are fitted on such a principle ; and herein lies the interest attached to the trial of the Royal Sovereign. It is a somewhat remarkable fact that although a good deal has appeared relative to the behaviour of the iron sh i p s of Rear-Admira. Smart's squadron off Lisbon recently in heavy weather, and on which occasion they have been declared to have proved themselves fit to go any where, nothing has been said about casting their 95cwt. maindeck guns loose and working them in moderately rough weather. If ships cannot do this their guns can be of but little use to them at sea. The Emerald, 34, screw frigate, Capt. Cumming, has gone into Portsmouth harbour, from Spithead, to be placed in dock and prepared for her trials of screw propellers. Her Majesty's steam sloop Alecto, Commander Blake, was yesterday inspected in the river by the Commodore-Superintendent of Woolwich dockyard, preparatory to her departure for service on the south-east coast of America. Sixty second-class lads for the Implacable and Impregnable, at Devon port, took passage on board to go through the usual course of training. The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have rescinded the order recently issued to the effect that the boats of all ships in commission should be fitted exclusively with the late Capt. Kynaston's boat detaching hooks, on a special reques t b e i ng ma d e by the commander t h e hooks were removed from the Alecto, and four of, the boats were fitted with Clifford's loweringtogear, three of the Kynaston hooks beingr retained un dergo an official trial for their lo h i of o ur iron-clad p's satisfaction. The sea-going qualities of tone da frigates has been very corre ctly , t 6 e B s 7 t de. The screw 1 tons, Captain steams hip London, 86 gu , 2 Chads, had left Gibraltar on her recent return to Plymou th to be paid off, an d was about 100 miles sout h- e ast of Cape St. Vincent; her screw was up and she was under close-reefed topsails ; the wind Iwas south-east and blowing t moderate gale. So situated she was lying seven points from the wind, and going about four knots through the water. The iron sorew steamship Defence, 16 guns, 3,720 tons, Capt. A. Phillimore, which left Gibraltar after the London, overtook her in this situation. The Defence was working her screw, with fore and aft canvas just drawing, she lay within four points of the wind and appeared to be making five knots ;hrough the sea, which was running heavily and at times break ing right over all as far aft as the ship's foremast. Letters received a t Plymouth from the Pacific state that the screw steam frigate:Bacchante ' 39, Capt. D. M. L. Mackenzie, w as a t C a ll ao on Jan. 13. and would leave about the 201 h for Panama, where Rear-Admiral Sir T. Maitland, K.C.8., the retiring Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific, would land, and cross the Isthmus for the purpose of re- ' turning to England. The screw steamgeorvette Charybdis, 21, Capt. the Hon. G. D. Keane , was also at Callao, but was to leave about Jan. 30 for 1 the rendezvous, Valparaiso, where she would wait the arrival of the newly-appointed Commander-in- Chief, Rear-Admiral John liingcombe, who left .