The Express.
London, England, 1863-01-09 00:00:00

[Stamped, Id. Additional.]

AMERICA.

(nom cum SPECIAL col

NEW YORK, DSc• 27.

All hope or fear of Mr. Lincoln's modifying or with-
drawing the emancipation proclamation has vanished.
The last news from Washington is to the effect that
he is not to be shaken on this point ; " would not
yield, "to use his own words, "if he could, and
could not if he would." The consequence is that
there is, I think, more excitement about the mea-
sure now than there was when it was first promul-
gated, owing to an increasing anxiety, both North
and South, as to its effect upon the slaves. I bear
from every quarter that there is no doubt that
they all know of it, and are generally determined
to avail themselves of it, so far as they can. The
accounts from Virginia represent all the slave-
owners within many miles of the lines of the Union
army as sending their slaves south, so as to have I
them out of harm's way by the Ist of January, and
the stories of insubordination in anticipation of

that day increase by every maiL What I beard
yesterday of the trials of • Northern lady, with
whom I was acquainted before her marriage,
may give some idea of what we may expect to
occur in all astrieta either near— Erti" Union
lines, or in which the whites have been
largely drawn upon for the Confederate army.
Her husband is a Louisiana planter in the sugar dis-
trict, near New Orleans, into which General
Weitzel recently made an excursion with a small
column from New Orleans. On hearing of the
approach of the Federal troops, the slaves rose and
refused to work, and on the master attempting to
compel them, they fell upon him and best him
severely. The overseer came to his assistance, and
was nearly killed. Mrs. was ill and confined
to bed when word was brought to her that the ne-
groes were murdering her husband, and rushing
down stairs to collect her children, she saw
him carried off tied on a cart, with the slaves
dancing and singing triumphantly round him. He
was released by the Federal troops, terribly bruised,
but not seriously hurt, but found that his faithful
menials had destroyed his mills, tools, and
utensils, killed his live stook, and were regaling
themselves in the woods on the spoil. To reduce
them to subjection again without the aid of
an armed force was out of the question,
and although he took the oath of allegiance
in the hope of obtaining it, it was re-
fused him. His occupation as well as his
means of subsistence was thus entirely gone, and
his life was, he considered, in danger if he remained
on the plantation, so he has removed to New
Orleans penniless and forlorn. One of his wife's
brothers has gene on this week to bring her home
to her father's in this city ; but for the planter him-
self there is not much sympathy felt, as he has
been maintaining two companies of soldiers in the
Confederate service ever since the war broke
out. I am told that all the slaves in
that region are convinced that they are
to be unoonditionally emancipated on the
let, New Year's-day, and are determined, as far as
they are concerned, to assist in putting the prochs-
=glen in force. When General Weitzel overtook
and routed a body of Confederates in the neigh-
bourhood, amongst the baggage which they aban-
doned in their retreat were 250 wagon loads of
negroes, who were being carried off by their owners,
and who, on being released, not only appeared
highly delighted, but begged to be armed and
eulisted in the United States service. The
arrivals of " oontrabaods " in the lines of
the Union armies, East and West, are as
numerous as ever; more numerous, in fact,
than is desirable for the comfort of the unfortunates I
themselves. There is a "Freedmen's Relief Asso-
ciation "in this city, which does a good deal in
assisting them, but it is of course not half equal to
the demands upon it. The government, too, has
its bands full, and more than full, in looking after
the army, and the result is that the negro fugitives
who crowd into Washington and other places
suffer greatly from want of food, clothing,
medical attendance, and general supervision.
Many of them are taken as servants
by officers, as well as private families in the various
towns near the line, but there still remains a vast
and increasing number, badly lodged and fed on
army rations, irregularly supplied or in insufficient
quantities. An organisation has, I believe, been
started within the last week or two, for the pur-
pose of forwarding as many of them as are compe-
tent labourers or house servants, to persona apply-
ing for them all over the North, where labour of
all kinds is now very dear and very scarce, but there
is no probability of this being done on a scale
at all equal to the emergency. The feat ia, that
the task of taking care of them is one which pro-
perly devolves on the government, and to which the
government alone is equal ; but there is no depart-
ment now in existence on which the duty can be
imposed. The emancipation proclamation ought
never to have been issued, nor ought encourage-
ment to have ever been held out to slaves to desert
their owners to come within the Union lines, until
the means of taking care of them until they were
able to take care of themselves had been thoroughly
organised. The number of refugees is likely to be
increased tenfold after the Ist of January, but
I do not think that any member of the government
has up to this moment given the least attention to
the best way of meeting this tremendous responsi-
bility. Mr. F. L. Olmsted, the secretary of the
Sanitary Commission, was so convinced of the
necessity of doing something of this sort, that last
session of Congress he draughted a bill organising
an emancipation bureau, or department, charged
with the sole duty of superintending or taking
care of the negroes freed either inciden-
tally by the military operation or by the
direct action of the government, taking the
English poor law as his model in its main
features. He submitted his plan to two or three
prominent senators, who approved of and adopted
it, and under their auspices the bill was passed in
the Senate, and read a first time in the house, but
it was A.% withdrawn at the urgent solicitation of
the Secretary of the Treasury, who objected to it
on financial grounds, and promised that if it were
abandoned be would himself prepare a plea that
would meet the end in view, and which the Treasury
could bear. Up to this moment, however, nothing
has been done, and, what is still worse, I am afraid
the government is not at all alive to the necessity
of doing anything. At present the military crisis
is too grave, and too great • strain upon all the
resources of the country to allow anything else to
j be thought of ; but it is nevertheless certain that
I unless the matter is thought of, and carefully
thought of, before long the fate of these unfortu-
d sates will leave a stain on the cabinet which will

[TWOPENCE

do much to dim the lustre of its anti-slavery
policy.
In this policy another and splendid step
has this last week been made in the deci-
sion of Attorney-General Bates that all free
negroes are citizens of the United States,
entitled to recognition and protection at the
baud' of the Federal government as fully and
fairly as white men.

General Foster's expedition has, as I anticipated
it would, returned to Newbern, after evacuating
Goldsboro ; so that the only result of a march
of 70 miles and four successful fights is the tearing
up a railroad and burning a bridge, which the enemy
can repair in two or three day,. We are bound in
charity to suppose that this movement was intended
as a combination with that of Burnside at
Fredericksburg, which failed. If • this was not
the case, its folly is too apparent to need point-
ing out ; even if it was the case, the force ought
to have been very much larger ia order to render
it effective and enable it to maintain itself so far in-
land. In abort, Banks ought to have been with it.
The news from the West is bad. The Confederates

have succeeded in pushing in between Roesucrants
and Grant, forcing the latter to change his base
to Newspiiii, and hiring the former isolated- an

2fashrill; with a superior fosse on his flank. The
news of the next week from nil guanine is looked
foe with anxiety, though tar expedition of Ad-
miral Porter down the Mississippi, whisk is es the
point of sailing in tremendous force, nay at any
hour change the aspect et affain,.
On the Potoutte there is nothing new to avert.

It seems to be admitted by every ono that. the
Confederates can rely he dislodged from their pow
sent position by strategical movements ;. against
an attack in front it is clearly inspregmbit. Bow
these movements can be ef6oted the matter new
under oonsideastion, and I should not be at all
surprised to see Waellan'spenineidar plan again
resorted to. If so, it would be a peat triumph fee
him and his friends. He has retained his popularity
up to the present owing to the singulardiscretion and
good taste with which be has behaved since hiedepo-
sition ; qualities very rare with hercesond Hellebore.
He has avoided all public demonstrations of every
kind, lives in a very retired way in the society of
his intimate friends, acknowledges all his swore,
with the utmost frankness, indulges in no com-
plaints against the government, and takes the
greatest apparent interest in Buraside's owns-
tious, and in all that concerns the army and the
war. It must be conceded that, however wanting the
officers of the regular army may be in anti-elsvez7
zeal, they set an example of moderation, discipline,
good temper, and self-sacrifice, which speaks welt
for the value of professional training, and which
their confreres of the volunteers would do water.
imitate.

SOUTHAMPTON, JAL $

The Hamburg and American Company's steam-
ship Bavaria, from New York on the 27th Dec., ar-
rived here to-night with 72 passengers, 50,500 dollies
in specie for England ; 116,968 dollars for Frame.;
and 1,800 dollars fcr Hamburg. She touched at
Cape Race on the Mat Dec., but did not receive
any new despatches.
The steamship Princess Royal, bound from Pal-
month to Halifax, was at SL John's, short of male.
The steamship Caledonia. for Portland, was also at
Sr. John's on the 24th, likewise short of oasts.

The Bohemian passed Cape Race on the 24th aad
the Etna Oil the 27th.
The Bavaria spoke on the 2nd the City of Wash-
ington, bound west. During the latter part of her
voyage the Bavaria encountered heavy north-
westerly and northerly gales.

The Liverpool, New York, and Philadelphia
Company's anew steamer Edinburgh, Captain
M'Goigsn, which left New York on the 27th ult.,
arrived in the Mersey yesterday morning, bringing
83 passengers and 345,893 dole. in specie.
The Edinburgh brings New York journals to the
27th ult. ; but their contents were to • gnat
extent anticipated by the intelligence we published
yesterday from the Boston and Portland papers, of
the same date.