The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-29 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, SEPTEM`BER 29, 1863.

Zla,val and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

The armour-plated screw frigate Caledonia (in-
tended to carry 35 guns), which has been in No. 3
dock at Woolwich since October last for the pur-
pose of being plated, was yesterday undocked. The
great accumulation of mud and refuse in the river
opposite the dockyard rendered this an operation of
great difficulty, as the draught of water of the ship
was 16 feet 6 inches forward, and 20 feet 6 inches
abaft. A slide of hard wood has been laid under
the keel of the ship, and powerful "purchases"
were attached to her sides and the falls brought
to the capstans, so that as much artificial strain
might be brought to bear on her removal as was
found necessary to lift her over the shallow shelf of
the basin, which it was expected she would barely
clear. Precisely at two o'clock the word was given
by Mr. Turner, the master shipwright of the yard,
who had charge of the arrangements on one aide of
the dock, and Mr. Thornton on the other, when the
whole of the men at the capstans started to the
work, and the great ship, resembling a huge block
of shaped or carved iron, instantly moved. After
floating about 40 feet outwards, her sternpost caught
the mud in the bed of the river, and at this juncture
the towing hawser from the Sheerness tug snapped
like a piece of thread, and the vessel was brought
up. However, by dint of unusual exertions
she was again moved astern through the
mud, and was taken in tow by the Bustler,
Adder, and Sheerness tugs, and was removed to
temporary moorings down the river, to await the
early morning's tide. She will this morning go up
to the Victoria docks, and be placed under the
shears to receive her boilers and machinery of 1,000
horse power, to be supplied by Messrs. Maudslay.
The armour plates, consisting of 41 inch rolled
plates, from Messrs. Brown and Co. of Sheffield,
and Messrs Beale of Rotherham, have been all bent
to the form and fitted in their places with the most
admirable nicety by the shipwrights, without a
single accident or mishap. The smoothness of sur-
face and finish are deserving of great praise, more
especially when it is remembered that the armour
casing of the ship has been accomplished by ship-
wrights only, who till quite recently were utterly
unaccustomed to work on iron.

Her Majesty's 6 gun paddle sloop Hydra, ordered
to replace the surveying ship Medina in the Medi-
terranean, was yesterday taken out of the fitting
basin at Woolwich and moored in the river to be
completed ; and the 5-gun vessel Speedwell, Com-
mander Cottatn, commissioned for tervice on the
West Coast of Africa, was yesterday unlocked and
was made fast alongside the receiving hulk for the
transfer of her crew.

The iron frigate Tamar, 3,50 C-horseC-horse power, fit-
ting at Sheerness for commission, [has completed
coaling, and is being pushed forward as rapidly as
possible in her fittings, &e. There is still a great
amount of work remaining to be executed on board
before she is fit for sea.

The Salamander, 6, paddlewheel steamer, has
been fitted with her engines and boilers in the great
basin, Chatham, and on Saturday st2aln was got
up on board for the first trial of her machinery,
which was found to work very satisfactorily. She
is intended for immediate commission.

The paddlewheel steamer Rhadamanthus, 4, 220.
horse power, Master Cmimander G. Raymond, is
being fitted with new boilers and having some tri-
fling defects to her hull made good.
The following screw gunboats, attached to the
three divisions of the steam reserve at Chatham, are
ordered to be sent round from that port to Deptford
dockyard, where they are to be broken up by the
artificers at that establishment—viz., the Fidget, 2,
20-horse power ; the Dwarf, 2, 20-horse power ;
the Manly, 2, GO-hcrse power; the Spey, 2, 60-horse
power; the Thistle, 2, 60-horse power; the Mastiff,
2, GO-horse power; and the Tickler, 2, 60-horse
power. The high-pre,isure engines and machinery
with which they are fitted are, if arrangements to
that effect can be carried out, to be removed from
each vessel before it is sent to Deptford. The follow-
ing will bo the only gunboats remaining in the
Medway after the above are removed to Deptford,
viz., the Carnation, the Sepoy, the Spanker, the
Erne, and the Bullfrog, all of which are attached
to the first division of the Steam Reserve, and are
fitted with condensing engines ; the Louisa, also
fitted with condensers; the Thrasher, which is now
being fitted as a tender to the Cumberland, 74, Capt.
Hall, C. 8., guardship of the Steam Reserve, and the
new gunboats Wizard, Linnet, and Pigeon. The
whole of the gunboats ditected to be broken up were
originally ordered to be sold, but the terms offered
for them were not deemed satisfactory by the Lords
of the Admiralty.

A notification has been received at Chatham that
the paddlewheel steamer Cyclops, 6, 1,195 tons,
320-horse power, the Phoenix, 6, 809 tons, 260-
horse power screw sloop, and the screw gunvessel
Victor, 6, 859 tons, 350-horse power, belonging to
the steam reserve, have been disposed of by the
Admiralty to Mr. Gibson, of London, with their
engines, machinery, and the whole of their gear
complete, and their names will consequently disap-
pear from the new Navy List. The Victor is to be
docked in one of the vacant docks, in order to have
her hull examined before being taken away at the
expense of the purchaser.
The Cumberland, 74, Capt. W. K. Hall, C. 8.,
guardship of the Chatham steam reserve, has taken
up her former moorings at the entrance to the har-
bour, having been removed from the steam basin,
where she had her jury lower masts taken out, and
heavier spars put on board, to adapt her for mut-
ing the smaller descriptions of vessels of war, ac-
cording to a plan submitted to the Admiralty by
Captain Hall.
The. Duke of Somerset returned to his official re-
sidence at the Admiralty yesterday evening from
Maiden Bradley, the family seat, in Wilts.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—W. Wright has been nominated
to a naval cadetship ; J. L. Rastrick, of the Mi-
randa, promoted to acting first-class assist.-engi-
neer; and W. Stratton, assist.-engineer, to the
Scylla.

AMERICA.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

QUEENSTOWN, Sept. 28.
The Inman steamer City of New York, from New
York on the 19 rh inst., arrived here at 4.20p.m. to-day.
She brings 118 passengers and 246,580 dols.in specie.
She proceeded for Liverpool at 4.40 p.m.
NEW YORK, Sept. 18 (Evening).
The Confederates hold a strong position on the
Rapidan, but are Lot in large force. Considerable
skirmishing has occurred, and 150 Federal cavalry
are said to have been captured by the Confederates.
It is reported that Federal General Thomas's corps
has met with a reverse at Lafayette, Tennessee.
The Southern journals state that the Confederate
General Wheeler had a skirmish on the 11th inst.
with the Federals near Lafayette, and retired be-
fore a superior force.

Buckner has captured 300 prisoners.
The capture of Little Rock by the Federals is
officially reported. The Confederates retreated
southward, pursued by the Federal cavalry.
NEW YORK, Sept. 19 (Morning).
General Meade's army has advanced. A battle
on the Rapidan is expected.
Generals Rosecranz and Bragg are confronting
each other in Tennessee. An engagement is immi-
nent.

Gold is higher. Stocks are steady.
The whole of General Meade's army is moving
forward, and a general engagement is expected un
the Rapidan. No positive information has been
received as to the strength of General Lee's army,
but it is supposed to have been depleted by the
despatch of troops to Tennessee and other parts.
It is stated at Fort Monroe that Lee is evacuating
Virginia, but this amounts to little more than sur-
mise.

The Mobile .Register says:—" General Joe Sohn-
son has assumed the command of the army of
Virginia, and a Philadelphia telegram asserts that
General Leo has proceeded southward for some
purpose."
Unreliable rumours received from Memphis state
that Generals Bragg and Johnston have driven
Rosecranz back, and that their cavalry have de-
stroyed his communications.
Sixteen thousand Confederates attacked General
Negley's division, 5,000 strong, at Bird's Gap, and
drove him back three miles and a half. On the fol-
lowing day, however, General Negley recovered his
ground with the loss of 35 men.
General Bragg has massed his army at Lafayette,
and holds the gaps of Pigeon Mountain directly in
front of Federal Gen. Thomas's column. The lines
of the opposing armies are represented to be a crescent
shaped by Pigeon Mountain, which extends like the
arc of a circle round Lafayette. The Confederates
hold the interior and the Federals the exterior lines.
Both armies are within a few miles of each other,
but separated by a range of mountains.
The latest reports state that the Confederates were
moving through Pigeon Mountain Gap, and form-
ing in Hue as if for attack. Gen. Rosecranz has as-
sumed a strong defensive position on Checkamanga
Creek, covering Chattanooga. Gen. Bragg is reported
to have a larger force than he had at Murfreesboro'.
General Longstrcet is reported to have passed
thro.igh Resaca, with 20,000 men. His advance is
positively stated to have reached Lafayette. The
Confederate troops were hurrying to Atlanta from
all directions.

According to advises from Charleston of the 15th
inst., General Gilmore was shelling Fort Moultrie
from Fort Gregg. The Confederates had strength-
ened Fort Moultrie.

A Federal reconnoitring► party has been captured
on the Savannah Railroad.

The Confederates have increased their force in
front of the Federal lines in North Carolina.

The Confederates in Western Virgiuis, 8,000
strong, are preparing for a raid.
Martial law is to bo rigidly enforced throughout
Missouri.

The Federals from New Orleans are moving in
Texas in three columns ; one by way of the Gulf to
Sabine Pass, another by way of Red River to Ope-
lousas, and another along the Teche. Two gunboats
of the expedition arrived at Sabine Pass, which was
found to be well fortified. One of the gunboats was
destroyed by the Confederate batteries, and the
other was captured by two Confederate gunboats
which came out for that purpose. The remainder of
the expedition retired.
The judge of the New York District Court has
decided that President Lincoln's proclamation pre-
vented writs of habeas corpus being granted in all
cases occurring before or after its issue.
A fearful state of affairs is reported to exist on
the Kansas--lilissouri borders.
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

NEW YORK, Sept. 18 (Evening.)
Money easy. Gold, 334 per cent. preen. Exchange
on London, 1461. Stocks steady. New York Cen-
trals, 1337, ; Illinois, 1241 ; Erie, 1071 ; 6 per Cent.
United States Bonds, 1052. Cotton very firm. Mid.
Upland, 'No. to 71c. Flout firm and advancing.
Wheat advancing. Corn good inquiry. Provisions
and coffee steady. Sugar quiet. Molasses good
inquiry. Crude petroleum quiet at 35 c. to 36c.

(Flom the S.peeial Correspondent of the Times.)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, Sept. 11.
I shall leave this to-morrow, on my way to St.
Louis, Missouri. The Jayhawkers of Kansas held
their war council at Paola on the 9th, as they had
announced, and mustered 3,500 armed men. They
did not, however, carry into immediate execution
their threat of a raid across the borders, to tho an-
nihilation of Missouri Bushwhackers, and revenge
for the Lawrence massacre. They limited them-
selves to fiery speeches and thundering resolutions,
the upshot of which was the sending of a deputa-
tion to Washington, headed by the Senator and
Gen. Jim Lane, to demand the removal of the two
Generals in command of those districts for the
United States Government, Schofield and Ewing.
Letters from Washington assure us that the substi-
tution of Gen. Hunter for the unpopular Schofield
was already contemplated by the Cabinet. Whether
Hunter or any other man may succeed in establish.
ing the authority of the Government among that
border population, and break them of the habit
long rooted among them of taking the law into
their own hands, time will show. Great exaspera-
tion, no doubt, reigns in Kansas, and Missouri is a
prey to terror and confusion. Mayor Anthony, of
Leavenworth, one of the Kansas Jayhawkers, was
suddenly arrested by orders of Gen. Ewing, who,
however, gave way before popular excitement, and
immediately released his prisoner. The guerilla
Quantrell is still at large at the head of 1,100 Bush-
whackers.

To do these people justice, their confidence in
ultimate success, however remote, their conscious-
ness of their power to undertake a foreign war im-
mediately on the termination of the civil struggle,
or even simultaneously with it, never belied them-
selves at the most critical moments. The bragging
faculties of these Yankees transcend all comprehen-
siou. They ought to burrow the cock from the
French, and set it up instead of the French eagle
on their national escocbcon, and take "While
I live I crow," for their motto. Their attachment to
the Union partakes of religious fanaticism ; the
idea that their country is to be a world and their
nation in a few years a mass of 100,000,000,000 of
people is not to be shaken out of their heads. Talk
to any man you list, you are immediately referred to
the "stunning" results of the last census, to the
",315;T: per 100 increase of the population in 10
years," to "more than 50,000,000 of acres of fresh
land brought into cultivation within that same
period ;" " the produce of manufactories increased in
a decennium from 1,000,000,000 to 1,900,000,000
dols. The banking capital from 227,000,000 dols. to
421,000,000 dols.; railroads increased i❑ ten years
22,000 miles in length, and their capital from
296,000,000 dolt, to 1,150,000,000 ; and or.:

army of emigrants from Europe within the last ten
years of 2,500,000 souls, most of whom have marched
into these North-Western districts."

The Yankees never tire of dinning these big
numbers into your ears, and the augment of " hun-
dreds of millions" in ten years, the doubling of
wealth and produce, equally extend to every branch
of domestic industry or foreign trade. Without
placing too implicit reliance in the numbers of the
census, for I am assured that its operations have
been neither carefully nor conscientiously achieved,
it requires no great persuasion to bring me to be-
lieve that the prosperity of the Union, and espe-
cially of the Northern division, was something
enormous, and that, without any unforeseen check,
the growth of the country and its wellbeing must
go on at a rate obeying the laws of geometrical pro-
gression. Only did not the civil war, breaking out
just upon the publication of that astounding census,
act as a material check upon the great tide of Ame-
rican felicity ? The answer of the West, so far as,
after nearly a month's inquiry, I can make out, is
unanimously negative. The West was just recover-
ing from a succession of bad harvests. The price of
previsions rose in the same measure as the plentiful
supply enabled the Western producers to meet the
demand of the war. The inundation of greenbacks,
though puzzling and alarming at first, was hailed as
a fertilizing element. It was not wealth in itself,but
a means to get wealth. The Westerner was as eager
to seize ou that paper money as he was anxious to
rid himself of it. The transmission of property when
gold was up at 60 or 70 was astonishingly and almost
absurdly rapid and fretful. In this city alone, with
140,000, or, as people here contend, 165,000 souls,
the sales of real estate were in those stormy days
reckoned at something like 150 per diem. Now,
with gold at 31, or more recently at 28, the sales are
about 15 a day, the average in normal times. Money
and, what is more, money's worth, was within
everybody's reach. Every one had a chance to
settle his own affairs and look oat for whet seemed
to him the safest investment. There has been as
yet no serious abatement in this spread of well-being,
welch, as it certainly took place in spite of the war,
the Americans rather too sanguinely ascribed to the
war itself. Financially speaking, many of them
consider the war as a blessing and look forward with
uneasiness to its conclusion.

Neither is the loss in men very seriously felt. The
battles of which we have read the long roll with
awe and dismay were no doubt sanguinary affairs,
and the actual losses of the Northerners in dead and
wounded are something appalling. American regi-
ments have, however, a singular knack of melting
away, whether in success or Meat, so that their
dwindling to mere squads is not wholly, nor yet
mainly, occasioned by fatal casualties in the field.
The freedom of the citizen greatly interferes with
the discipline of the soldier, and especially during
the first campaign the volunteer only considered
himself bound to the standards by his own free will.
Young heroes coming home from camp without
leave were hardly looked as deserters ; they were
simply called " absentees," There was no one to
interfere with them ; no call from their officers to
bring them back to duty. Not a few of them
were as ready to enter a second engagement as
they had been to break through a former one.
When we say that, for instance, Illinois had,
before the 31st of December, 1862, sent
135,000 men into the field, we must be under-
stood to mean that regiments and other corps to
that amount at several times left the State, and
when we hear that a regiment whict► mustered 1,000
at its start is reduced to 50 or 60 combatants, we
must not be too sure that all the '• balance," as the
Americans have it, is either under the sod or in
hospital.

The answer of the American volunteers to the call
was no doubt very creditable. Mere patriot iF in would
have been sufficient to supply the State with the ele-
ments of an army equal to a happy prosecution of
the war, had the Government only known how to
manage them; but the waste and lavish use made
by civil and military authorities of the means placed
at their disposal shook the volunteers' confidence in
their leaders, and they soon tired of being led like
sheep to unavailing butchery. The era of volun teer-
in g came to an end, and was succeeded by enlistment
by bounties. It was then that the alien and mer-
cenary was widely mixed up with the native and
patriotic element. The army became rougher and
more brutal, but admitted of stronger management,
and was, to a certain extent, more readily amenable
to discipline.
The strongest pecuniary inducements failed in
the end to procure voluntary recruits, and then it
was that Government resorted to that most impro-
vident of all measures—conscription.
Conscription, however—it is well to be undeceived
on that point—was never carried into effect, and
was, perhaps, never seriously contemplated. The
Bill passed at a time in which the affairs of the
North were at the lowest ebb, and attempts to on-
force it were not made until after Gettysburg and
Vicksburg had allayed the worst Northern anxieties,
till all necessity for the odious measure was provi-
dentially removed. New York and other parts of
the North-East put forth their demurrer, and the
President, with vain obstinacy, determined to pro-
ceed with the draught, precisely because he saw that
the measure was unpopular. Violent resistance was
at an end instantly, but citizens, town magistrates,
State authorities, and the whole communities con-
spired to turn the law into a dead letter, and the
Government, after a vast deal of expense, danger,
and disturbance, only collected at three times the
cost about one-third of the force that was to spring
from the draught—a force, with very few excep-
tions, consisting of substitutes, hirelings, and
bounty men of the very worst description.
All this for the North-east ; as for the West, we
heard not a word of the draught in Illinois and the
States further to the West, with the exception of
Wisconsin, nor am I sure that a single conscript has
as yet been drawn from Ohio; while Indiana has
been declared exempt. With all its readiness to offer
up hundreds of thousands of its youth to the national
cause, it must not be supposed that the actual loss of
the country in men may be very serious. In every
city on my way I have always been assured that the
men who went out as soldiers were those who could
be spared as citizens. Labour in the towns has never
ceased from want of hands, and the prodigious
spread of agricultural implements (increasing in the
last ten years from 6,000,000 dols. to 17,000,000),
together with the influx of immigrants from the
North of Europe, has enabled the husbandman to
pursue his undertakings with undiminished activity.
No doubt, the North-West, as well as East, has
thriven and thrives by the war, and if there is
anything that may have power to alienate all sym-
pathies, and to set the heart of every generous man
against their cause, it is the brutal exultation, the
savage delight with which they hail not only their
own success, but the wanton misery which their not
over-civilised warfare inflicts over an enemy to whose
valour and endurance they are themselves compelled,
in unguarded moments, to do full justice. President
Lincoln struck the keynote of his countrymen's feel-
ings when he ordered thanksgivings for the results,
whatever they might be, of a war between brethren.
The greatest victory in a civil conflict must be looked
upon as a subject for national mourning. In con-
sonance with the President's note of triumph, every
ealemity, w hether of God or man's own inflicting,
which may etrike that "Bogus Confederacy," CS
they call it, is the neeaeion of unseemly and unmanly
mirth for these cold-blooded Northern Republicans.
Something of the relentless cannibal spirit of vin-
dictiveness would seem to have crept into the
Yankee character from contact with the Red Indian,
whose hunting-ground he usurped. " Such a gen-
tleman in such a county in Maryland was the owner
of 400 slaves ; he is now left with 14 between balms
and decrepit men and women." Such items of in-
telligence are to be read daily in the papers here,
followed by insane cries of " Burn Charleston!" and
pekes about the downfall of the ruffian Jeff.