The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-08 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, JAN. 8, 1864.

Another band of Italian assassins has just
been arrested at Paris. Four foreigners, three
of them giving their own Italian names, and the
fourth endeavouring to conceal his identity, have,
in consequence of their suspicious appearance, been
taken into custody by the police immediately after
landing from England. Further examination jus-
tified the vigilance of the Parisian detectives. Gun-
po'wder, poiganrds, revolvers, air-guns con-
structed on an improved fashion, and eight
hand-grenades, of a similar kind to those used
by ORSINI, were discovered in their possession.
'Whether these n'.en were isolated assassins, or
whether they may be in connivance with others, will
probably be ascertained on the judicial investigation
which will be immediately directed to their case.
Secret assass;mation seems to be the peculiar crime
of the lowest type of the Italian race. MACAULAY,
in his admirable article upon MACHIAVELLI, has
drawn 8, very just and discriminative distinc-
tion, between the English and the Italian
temperament, more especially in regard to
their different estimate of the qualities of
canning and of courage. He takes, as an example,
the play of " Othello," and very forcibly remarks
that, while the emotions of the English spectators
are all excited by the wronged and openly revengeful
Moor, an Italian audience would feel greater sympa-
thy with the artful skill with which the jealous lacio
carries out his revenge. All secret plotting, all
dastardly blows in the dark are signally repugnant
to our English nature. " The bold, the erect,
the manly foe," is the only character
which an indignant Englishman can assume,
and it is therefore especially revolting to all
cur sentiments that these Italian cowards
should take advantage of our hospitable shelter
to concoct, heir " infernal schemes." It is a- poor re-
turn for the welcome which the British shores ever
afford to all in misfortune, whether deserved or
othprwlse. Royalist or Renublican, refugee or run-
away, the victim of the tyranny of others, or of his
own misgovernment, ail are welcome—

"We do not aek their creed or clime

Before we give our hand "
It is no wonder, then, that JOHN BULL should
experience avery natural heart-burning and indigna-
tion when he finds his open-handed and unparelleled
hospitality taken advantage of by criminals
and cowards ; when he finds the sacred -Egis
of his protecting shield covering the dagger of
the abhorred assassin. The Parisian populace
may be very justly indignant with those ruffianly
d:sturbers of the public peace who come bearing secret
weapons of destruction to imperil the national
tranquillity, but no Frenchma❑ can feel a
moiety of the indignation with which these
cowardly incursions from our owu coast are re-
garded by every true- hearted Englishman.
Italian liberty has no deadlier foe than

the secret assassin, who desecrates her
name. The sympathies of every honest heart
revolt from such companionship ; and the blow
which these misguided fanatics destine for another
only recoils upon their own heads, end weakens
their own cause.

It is always a gratifying thing when those we
are accustomed to see taking e. foremost part in the
exciting arena of politics, tend mixing in its angry
strife, come forward to tassist in more peaceful un-
dertakings, and lend their aid and influence to in-
augurate intellectual works and further the inte-
rests of societies feir the benefit of the lower classes.
Mr. GLADSTONE, has always something to say on
every subject ; whether he is right or wrong in his
arguments, it is all the same. He can flJurish
away with his logic, startle with his rhetoric, and
dazzle with his brilliancy. Still it is a pleasing
task to follow the right hon. gentleman through
the course of such an address as that he delivered
in Flintshire. The subject was very suggestive,
and of course in such hands it was appropriately
treated and made the most of. Another attraction
of the affair was that it was the opening of a new
reading-room; hence there was ample ground for
speculation, and plenty of opportunity for prophecy
as regarded the future fortunes of the undertaking.
The impressive allusion made by Mr. GLADSTONE
as to the increased responsibility that fell upon
those whose gifts and advantages were augmented
was very opportune, as sad would be the state of
society if men only cared to increase their worldly
stores, and left unheeded and uncared for those
mental qualities which can never be neglected with
impunity. The right hon. gentleman also declared
that the time had gone by when it was incumbent
on any one in his position then to say much in
favour of such institutions, for the '• common opinion
of England had decided in their favour. This is a
great point gained, and perhaps one of our surest
grounds of hope that an extended power and in-
fluence will not tend to a speedy deterioration.
There is no better safeguard against the effemi-
nancy of luxury in the upper classes and the ten-
dency to grovelling pursuits in the lower ranks
tha❑ the sedulous cultivation of the intellect. Those
who can only turn to these elevating and refining
pursuits occasionally will yet find the benefit derived
from them incalculable. There is no greater mis-
take than for persons to imagine that because
they have not devoted any particular time to
study in youth, and do not possess any
shining talents and striking abilities it is use-
less and unavailing for them to try to gain know-
ledge or seek culture. The fact is that all are the
butter for some such engagement, and no class can
claim exemption from the solemn trust and sacred
duty which they owe to their MAKER, their country,
and themselves to improve, cultivate, and extend
their faculties to the fullest extent. Mr. GLAD-
STONE spoke very earnestly on this point. He said
that GOD had laid upon the labouring class the law
of labour, but at the same time He had given them
powers of thought, reflection, and inquiry. These
institutions, then, had for end and object to endea-
vour to present to them the means of using those
powers and improving them to the uttermost. After
analysing to some degree the peculiarities of these
societies, and enumerating the special advantages
which a reading-room would impart, Mr, GLAD-
STONE took a practical view of the question, by
drawing the attention of his hearers to the subject
of savings. He introduced his remarks in a very
ingenious fashion, of course, but nevertheless con-
trived to bring his meaning home, by stating that
in many instances the English were not so thrifty
as they might be. This was a case in point on
which to found his strictures, because the very exis-
tence of such as institution would depend on the
contributions of its members. Certainly it would
be an inducement for the working classes to
exercise care, thought, and self-denial in the outlay
of their incomes, if they found that by so doing
they could increase their enjoyments of the most
solid and satisfying advantages that money can
procure. "My mind to me a kingdom is," is a fine
thought, and there is no reason why the son of toil
should not in his degree share the treasures of
knowledge, and taste of its unqualified delights.

" Digging there for richer gems
Than the spoils of di4dems."
At first sight it may appear strange to some to
see the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who deals
in calculations of millions, and rules and regulates
the destinies of the country in regard to its fiscal
arrangements, throwing these aside to dwell upon
the scanty sums of a working man's earnings.
Yet, rightly regarded, such a study is
not incongruous, and much may be learned
from the right hon. gentleman's eloquent
and earnest address, if those to whom it was
addressed and their equals in condition will take it
to heart and give it that attention and considera-
tion which it especially deserves and particularly
merits. The habit of putting money in savings-
banks is an admirable one, and can hardly be too
much reconanended ; bat at the
,same time, as is
here mentioned, how rarely is the practice put in
force. Mr. GLADSTONE gave a minute account of
the working of the Post-office savings-banks, and
certainly there is sufficient strength in his argu•
merits to convince all but the very wilful or totally
reckless of the advantages they possess and the
services they may render. Nothing can make a
man useful or happy in his vocation if he is a
spendthrift. All gains are to him losses, and his
improvident habits render him a prey to the worst
temptations, bring suffering on his family, and
cause a succession of irremediable ills, while they
pervert and destroy the good gifts of Providence.
There is the. other extreme of parsimony, which is
foreign to the subject here touched upon, but that
does not produce such serious consequences to society
as reckless waste. Without the extreme being
touched upon, a thriftless style of carrying on the
business of life will occasion serious trouble and
heavy burdens to the working man. Mr. GLAD-
STONE could not have given his friends better ad-
vice; and it is to be trusted that all who heard will
heed, and those who read the discourse may profit
by it, for they can but derive benefit from its sound
sense, practical illustrations, and earnest exhorta-
tions. Statesmen can never employ their energies
to better purpose than by endeavouring to bring
their intelligence to bear upon the subjects that
intimately affect and immediately concern the great
body of the people. The welfare of the masses,
their social position, their intellectual elevation,
and their status as regards political economy,
can never be too fully entered upon or
too extensively taken up. The concluding
passage of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's
eloquent address is well worthy of notice, as it brings
before the mind the high and holy mission which
the meanest among us has to fulfil, and urges on-
ward in the great race of life those classes that toil,
encumbered and poverty-stricken though they may
be, are important and influential members of the
community, who sow that others may reap, and do
their best to promote the welfare and prosperity of
their country. The inculcation of provident habits
can never be too earnestly advocated ; they are use-
ful in the day of prosperity, and real blessings it'
the time of trouble. Mr. GLADSTONE thus closed
his speech, which, for foresight and right spirit, is
one of the best which he has addressed to the work-

ing classes :—" He was not about to set up the idea
;:f saving money, as if saving money was the pur-
pose for which man lived in this world. It was
not, however, his duty to lead them into the higher
regions of Christian doctrine. He came before them
as a member of the community, anxious to point out
to them that which he believed to be in itself valu-
able and useful. He was convinced that the fulfil-
ment of these lower duties was essentially associated
with the fulfilment of the highest. The privileges
of the man and the Christian were united and com-
bined together; and he did trust that by their con-
duct they would prove that they were resolved to
be good and faithful subjects and citizens both of
the kingdom of this world and the world to come.'

It is pleasant, amid the excitement of political
controversies and the jar of conflicting opinions, to
tarn to the record of assemblies, whose objects are
purely literary, and where the voice of opposition
or censure never makes itself heard. Such a gather-
ing took place a day or two back in the chief city
of the sister kingdom, when the principal digni-
taries of the country were present to do honour to
the memory of one whom not only Ireland, but the
civilised world holds in grateful and admiring re-
membrance. A statue in honour of OLIVER GOLD
SMITH is surely no uncalled-for or superfluous tri-
bute from his countrymen to the refined poet, the
genial creator of Dr. PRIMROSE, the pathetic
mourner over the desolation of Auburn. Some may
wonder how it is that such a movement has been so
long delayed, that no national memorial has hereto-
fore paid homage to one of Ireland's proudest
glories; but the neglect of such marks of recogni-
tion even among ourselves, is, unfortunately, too
common to be in any way remarkable. The omis-
sion, however, has now been rectified, and the figure
of OLIVER GOLDSMITH, wrought by the skilful
hand of one of his own gifted countrymen, stands
proudly in front of that great university of which
he was once a member. The project of such a
memorial owed its origin to one whose fine and
cultivated taste especially fits him for the apprecia-
tion of literary and poetical merit. Although not
himself an Irishman, the Earl of CARLISLE was no
unsuitable originator of a scheme which sought to
do honour to one of the standard ornaments of our
noble English literature. His high official position,
as well as his own personal reputation, invested the
suggestion with an importance which secured to it
the success it deserved. Some six years ago, accord-
ing to Lord CARLISLE'S own version, while engaged
in inaugurating the statue of another eminent Irish-
man—THOMAS MOORE—he first started the idea
that a statue of GOLDSMITH should be raised in the
position it now occupies. Six years have elapsed
since then, and by the approval and assistance of all
classes the work has been carried to completion.
The eminent sculptor, Mr. FOLEY, lent the aid of
his gifted chisel, the board of the college came for-
ward with large subscriptions, at length the work is
done, and royalty smiled on the project, and Irian-
men in the most distant lands sent substantial tokens
of their sympathy. The poor, thriftless, penniless
poet and man of genius looks down in marble from
the front of the college, of which he was for some time
a humble and by no means proficient scholar. In
regarding him, we c rntemplate, to use the words of
Lord CARLISLE, " a career not free from impru-
dence, from error, nor even from ridicule, bat re-
deemed by the most guileless simplicity, by the
most romantic benevolence, by the most manly
independence. We contemplate a genius of which
no more pithy or accurate a summary can be given
than in the words of Dr. JOHNSON, inscribed
upon the stone which bears his name in West-
minster Abbey. " There was no style of composi-
tion which he did not essay, none he essayed
which he did not adorn." Great and various
as were his successes, however, the Lord Lieute-
nant expressed the general sentiments when he
referred to the " Deserted Village" and the "Vicar
of Wakefield" as the most striking of his wotks.
These two productions clove suffice to build up a
great and enduring reputation, to secure a place
in the hearts and memories of all who speak his
language so long as that language lasts. It was
truly said by Mr. WHITESIDE at the inaugura-
tion that the fame of GOLDSMITH is growing
rather than declining. Is is based on sure foun-
dations, which changes of fashion or canons of
taste cannot affect or weaken, and in spite of the
more dazzling attractions of the writers who have
succeeded him, in spite of the variations of opinion
and sentiment, the prevailing love of the startling
and the " sensational," the writings of GOLDSMITH
keep their hold on the nation, and he is not only
remembered but read. To deny the acquaintance
of Dr. PRIMROSE would be to argue yourself, in-
deed, unknown and uneducated; to be ignorant of
the charms of the " loveliest village of the plain,"
and the sorrows of its mournful depopulation would
be to betray a want of reading which few would
care to own. Scenes from the quaint old parsonage
continually appear on the walls of our exhibitions,
representatives of the fair and sprightly LETITIA
HARDCASTLE still tread our modern stage, while the
youthful student, seeking to acquaint himself with
the masterpieces of English literature, is never Buf-
f
red to pass by the " Traveller" and the "Deserted
Village." Even with her long list of men of genius,
Ireland cannot afford to slight OLIVER GOLDSMITH,
even though with his country's gifts he had his full
share of her characteristic failings. Irishmen have
now paid the debt due to two of their national
celebrities ; but a third remains whose place of
honour, as Lord CARLISLE pointed out, stands vacant
by the side of his friend and companion, "Let not
six years," said the Lord Lieutenant, "elapse before
we shall have added the statue of BURKE, he who
was proverbially the greatest intellect of Ireland,
the consummate orator, philosopher, and states-
man." Such a plan is already on foot, and we can
hardly doubt that it will be speedily carried to a
successful issue. Ireland, amidst all her misfor-
tunes, has ever had cause to be proud of the genius
of her children, and of their great and versatile
gifts these two eminent men are very fitting ex-
amples. We are glad to find the Earl of CARLISLE
marking his term of office with such a grateful
recollection, endearing himself to the people whom
he governs, by his ready sympathy with their feel-
ings and appreciation of their great men, while he
forwards works of national importance in a manner
befitting his own literary tastes and cultivated
mind.

PROGRESS OF THE MAIN DRAINAGE WORKS.--
Notwithstanding the shortness of the days in the
past mouth and the stoppage of the works in the Christ-
mas week, remarkable progress has been made in the exe-
cution of the main drainage works. Already nearly one-half
of the sewage is diverted by the main drainage, and can
only find egress into the river at Erith Creek, and by next
July it is confidently expected that the whole system of
main drainage will be completed, except the short length of
the low level sewer, and from that date all but about one-
tenth of the sewage will be swept off by the ebb tide below
Barking.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CHAPLAINS.—At the Somer-
set Epiphany Quarter Sessions at Taunton, on Tuesday,
Mr. F. H. Dickenson moved that the visiting magistrates
for Taunton County Gaol and Shepton Mallet House of
Correction be requested to consider whether, in their opi-
nion, it would be desirable to adopt the provisions of the
Prison Ministers' Bill. Mr. King seconded the motion, but
on a division it was lost by 13 vows to 5,

THE HIGHWAY ACT.—At the Cornwall Qnarter
Sessions, on Tuesday last, it was resolved that petty ses-
sional divisions should be made the basis of the new high-
way districts throughout the county,

LATEST INTELLIGENCE.

[RELTTER'S TELEGRAM.]

DENMARK.
THE KING'S VISIT TO THE ARMY.

FLENSBURG, JAN. 7.

The King and the Crown Prince of Denmark
arrived here this morning by special train, and left
immediately for SondErburg. Thence his Majesty
will at once proceed by the steamer Schleswig to
Korsor, in order, it is said, to be present at the next
sitting of the Council of Stqte in Copenhagen.
His Majesty inspected the fortifications of
Friederickstadt on the sth.
It is asserted that the small canals of the
Schlei are still free of ice. The inundation of the
surrounding country, by opening the sluices, will
not be undertaken until the approach of the enemy.
The greatest ectivity prevails in the dockyard at
Copenhagen, witti the object of setting afloat a
considerable fleet as speedily as possible.

BADEN, JAN. 3.

The Government is bringing up several hundred
horses in Mecklenburg, Hanover, and Hungary.
This step, taken in connexion with the eventual
credit demanded of the Chambers, seems to point
with tolerable certainty to the prospect of at least a
portion of the Baden army corps being soon
mobilised.

A further measure, already discussed by the press,
is also expected, viz., the establishment of recruit-
ing-offices for the Schleswig-Holstein army in the
interior. Not the slightest doubt exists that.
the Baden Government will use every effort
consistent with its position to advance the
national interests and honour in the Duchies. The
Government knows that it is secure of the support
of its people in the question, and that all its mea-
sures for the purpose will meet with unqualified
approbation.

AUSTRIA.

VIENNA, JAN. 5.

Information from a reliable source states that the
Germanic Great Powers have withdrawn their in-
tended motion at the Federal Diet for the employ-
ment of none but Austrian and Prussian troops in
the eventual occupation of Schleswig.
Preparations are being made for the convocation
of the Diet iu Croatia.

Advices from Athens announce that Major-
General Petmosas has been appointed Minister of
War. The troops garrisoning Tripolitza and
Lamia are said to have refused to recognise their
new chief.

FRANCE.
ARREST OF SUPPOSED CONSPIRATORS
IN PARIS.

PARIS, Jun. 7.

The police have arrested four foreigners of sus-
picious appearance coming from England, At their
residence was found a great quantity of English
gunpowder, four poignard., four revolvers, four air
guns, of a new and ingenious construction, phospho-
rous, percussion caps, fuses several metres in length,
and eight hand-grenades, made on the Orsini pat-
tern. In the trousers pocket of one of these men
was found a letter dated from London, very com-
promising both for himself, his companions, and the
writer. Three of the men are Italians, named re
spectively Tambuco, Grocco, and Imperatori. The
fourth assumes a name evidently false. Two appear
to have received an excellent education, and it is
asserted that one of them has made a complete
avowal of the criminal object of their conspiracy.
The judicial investigation is being continued,
snd the trial of the prisoners will shortly take
place at the assizes.

PARIS, JAN. 8.
Marshal Forey has been appointed Commander
of the Second Army Corps.
The Constitutimmel of this morning contains an
article, signed by M. Limayrac, pointing out the
difficulties of an understanding to settle the Dano-
German conflict.

The monetary situation here is far from improv-
ing. The amount of bullion in the Bank of France
yesterday was 172 million francs. This morning it
had gone down to 166 milli3ns (5;6,640,000). The
Bank is endeavouring to find means to prevent the
withdrawal of specie, the stock of which has never
been known to bo so low as at present.

It is asserted that the date for the issue of the new
loan will be published in a few days. It is to be
raised by public subscription, which it is thought
will be opened from the 18th to the 20th instant.
Other accounts state that the issue will be delayed
to a later date.

The latest note of Earl Russell appears to have
produced great irritation in Germany. Little hope
is believed to be entertained at the Ministry of
Foreign Afflirs of the Federal Diet assenting to
the proposed conference.
BOURSE, Jas. 7.—No improvement has taken
place either as regards the amount of business or in
prices. Threes, for the Account, remain nnvaried
at 66fr. 75c. Railway Market quiet, and i❑ general
firm. The market closed as follows :

41 per 'Cents 94 CO
00. end month —
3 per Cents
Do. end month 66 80
!;redit Mobilier 1025
no. end month... lO2B 75
13 ink Shares 3300
Credit oncier 1217 50
Roman —

Italian Loan 68 85
Do. end month 66 25
New ditto —
0)o. end month.. • •
Et u.smian —
AuBtrian —
Spanb.l2 Threes.- • •
DOA —
Deferred

RA IL

OrLeann ...
Northern

AYPs.
Camh. Accomit.
980 „ 978 75
955 952 50

New ditto _
Lyons and Mediterranean 933 75 .. 940
New ditto
....
• • •
885
• 1
SouthernOOOOOOOO .• 6625
Western
Eastern
San./ inian .......... 375 380
Austrian .............. 385 393 75
Lombard .............. 517 50 .. 520
North of Spain ........ 510 510
Ditto to Barcelona ....
Saragossa .............. 598 6)2 50
285 290

M. Du CIIAILLU AS A COLLECTOR or GORILLA-
SKINS To M. P. b. Du Chaillu science stands
indebted for no lees than sixteen well-preserved specimens
of this ape. As a careful and industrious collector of skins,
M. Du Chaillu has achieved labours worthy of an Audubon.
His account of the gorilla's habits, whit*
was prepared in
New York, does not, however, add anything of value to the
foregoing descriptions. The proposed facts which I have al-
ready quoted have been moulded round him into adventuree of
which he was made the hero. In the history of these exploits
it is stated in addition, that the gorilla, when enraged,
beats its breast with its hand, thus making a noise which
can be heard at the distance of three miles, and that he
kills his antagonist kith a single blow of his paw, ripping
open the skull or the belly. After five months' careful
investigation, I found that the gorilla neither beats his
breast like a drum, nor attacks man in the above manner;
that M. Du Chalk has written much of the gorilla
which is true, but which is not new; and a little
which is new, but which is very far from beicg true.
Therefore, in presenting to the reader the evidence of
the native hunters which I collected in the gorilla
country, and in comparing it with that collected in
the same manner by Messrs. Savage, Ford, &0., I am com-
pelled to put aside as worthless the evidence of M. Du
Chaillu; he has had better opportunities than any of us of
'learning the real nature of the animal, but who has unhap-
pily been induced to sacrific truth to effect, and the esteem
of scientific men for a short-lived popularity. In a paper
which I read before the Zoological Society, and which has
been published in their Proceedings,' I stated the evidence
ripen which I have been led to assert that M. Du Chaillu
never killed a gorilla. In Other respects his book is a
medley of truth and fiction; and of which I can give a
minute analysis if required,"— Winwoode I?eades Savcve

AMERICA.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAM.)
Per City of Washington.
NEW YORK, Dec. 26.

There is no further news from the Army of the
Potomac, and the general belief is that active opera-
tions are ended for the session. The rebel guerrillas
however still hover about and keep the outposts on
the alert.

There have been no Federal advi3es received from
Chattanooga for a few days past, disclosing any-
thing of importance.

Richmond papers contain the following :
DALTON, GA., Dec. 18.

General Joseph E. Johnson is appointed to the
command of the Tennessee Army. He is expected
here early this week. General Hindman has arrived
and taken command of his old division. General
Sherman's corps has failen back from Knoxville,
and passed through Cleveland yesterday.
BRISTOL, Dec. 19.

A fight took place yesterday at Bear Station.
The enemy after a stubborn resistance retreated
towards Knoxville. We captured seventy wagon
loads of stores and a number of prisoners. Our loss
in killed and wounded was eight hundred. General
Graele was wounded. Two hundred and twenty-
five prisoners have arrived. Longstreet is advanc-
ing, and a battle may be looked for in the neigh-
Lourhood of Jonesboro, Tennessee. Reinforcements
from Jackson and General Sam Jones are going to
Longstreet.
General Averill reports that his command suc-
ceeded in destroying five bridges on the Virginia
and Tennessee Railroad, near Selma, about 60 miles
from Lynchburg, on the 16th inst. They also cut
the railroad i❑ several places. The effect of Gene-
ral ANerill's raid upon Longatreet's operations will
be sever©, inasmuch as it destroys for the time his
direct communication with Richmond.

The Philadelphia Ledger states that a rumour has
been received at Cairo to the effect that the rebel
General Magruder is marching from Texas with a
view of capturing the forts below New Orleans by
means of a rear attack, and thus close again the
navigation of the river to all sea-going vessels. Two
powerful rebel rams ere to aid in the movement,
and it is said that suspicious vessels have already
been seen in the Gulf.

Apprehension is felt at Fort Smith, Arkansas, for
the safety of an immense supply train, which is on
its way from Fort Scott. Quantrell and St and-
waite are said to be lying in wait, with a large
force, to capture it.
No important news has been received lately from
New Orleans or Texas. The rebels continue in
their efforts to obstruct the navigation of the Mis-
sissippi, and attack all boats from their moving
batteries on the banks of the river.

Advices have been received from Charleston up
to Dec. 22d. At that date no important events had
transpired. General Gillmore opened on the city
every night, throwing a few shells. His fire was
generally replied to by the rebels with vigour.
Efforts were to be made to raise the Weehawken.
She lies in five fathoms of water, in an easy posi-
I ion. The reported disaster to the Ironsides is
positively contradicted. The Monitor Lehigh, how-
ever. got aground, and was so badly injured by the
rebel fire that she had to be towed to Hilton Head
for repairs.

Richmond papers contain the following :
CHARLESTON, Dec. 18.

Four shells were thrown into the city on the
night of the 16th. Our batteries opened heavily
and silenced the enemy. Ten shells were fired into
the city this morning. Our batteries keep up a
steady fire on the enemy, who is engaged in ob-
tructing the approaches to their works on Morris
Island. The Ironsides and four Monitors are inside
the bar, and the usual number of vessels in Stone
Inlet.

CHARLESTON, Dec. 21.

The enemy opened yesterday on the city at ten
o'clock, and threw fifteen shells. In the afternoon
twenty more were fired. No damage was done to
the buildings; no one injured. Our batteries re-
plied. To-day a few shots have been exchanged
between the enemy's batteries and ours. The enemy
continues to work on Gregg and Wagner, extending
the fl ink of the former and sodding the latter.
There has been no new movement by the fleet. A
calcium light has been displayed by the enemy for
two nights, ref Lcting on the city.

It is stated that General Rosencranz has been
appointed to the command of the military depart-
of Missouri in place of General Scholefield, who has
been removed by the President.
A fleet of vessels of war is stationed off Sandy
Hook and the Narrows, for the purpose of searching
mercantile vessels leaving the port of New York.
The Government has resorted to this measure in
order to prevent the recurrence of such cases as
that of the Chesapeake. Hereafter, all American
vessels leaving ports in the United States are to be
subjected to a rigid scrutiny by United States de-
tectives. Passengers on the steamers to Aspinwall
and Havana are required to surrender their fire-
arms into the hands of the officers of the vessels,
until they reach their destination, when they are
returned to them.

There have been no very important proceedings
in Congress for the past three days. In the Senate
Mr. Sumner offered a resolution which, was adopted,
directing the Secretary-of-War to inform the Senate
whether the slaves in Delaware, Maryland, Wert
Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri, had been en-
rolled, and if not, why their enrolment had not been
made, in accordance with the act approved March
3d, 1863. Mr. Wilson, of Massachusetts, introduced
a bill to prevent members of Congress acting as
counsel in cases wherever the United States Go-
vernment is involved. The House resolution for the
appropriation of seventy millions of dollar for boun-
ties, was adopted after a lengthy debate.
In the House of Representatives, Mr. Johnson, of
Pennsylvania, offered a resolution to the effect that
since the Conscription Act had been decided in
Pennsylvania to be unconstitutional, it was the du:y
of the Government to either acquiesce in that de-
cision or to bring the matter before the Supreme
Court. Mr. Johnson's resolution was laid on the
table.

Mr. Ancona, of Pennsylvania, offered a preamble,
setting forth that the Conscription Act is oppres
sive, unjust, and unconstitutional, because it takes
from the States the control of their own militia;
therefore resolved, that the Committee on Military
Affairs be instructed to bring before the House a
bill providing for the immediate filling up of the
armies in a just and constitutional manner.

Bills to construct a Government railroad from
New York to Washington, and to connect, by means
of a canal, the river Mississippi with the great lakes,
were brought forward and referred to appropriate
committees.

Both Houses of Congress have adjourned until
Jan. 5.

The National Conservative Union Committee, in
session in Philadelphia, have re-affirmed the nomi-
nation of Major-General M Clellan for President.
For Vice-President, the committee nominated Judge
Campbell, of Pennsylvania.
It is believed that the rebels receive large quan-
tities of supplies from Maryland, across the Upper
Potomac, and also by small craft through Chesa-
peake Bay.

DEATh OF MR. COMBE.—The death of Mr. Combe,
the pollee magistrate, was announced yesterday.
On the 11th of December last he was transacting business
at the Southwark Police Court, apparently in his usual
health ; on the Saturday he was taken unwell with a cold,
and on Monday fever intervened and caused a complete
prostration of the system. His death was daily expected,
but he seemed to rally, and on Monday last information
was received at this court that he was recovering.
On Tuesday he was visited by Mr. Burchani, his col-
league, who found him much exhausted, a relapse
having taken place, and then all hopes of recovery
were gone, The deceased was about 75 years of age.
He was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn on the 19th of
November, 1813, He was a Chancery barrister, and was
a few years ago elected a bencher at his own inn. He was
first appointed a metropolitan police magistrate at the time
of Lord Melbourne's Government, in 1833. He first sat at
the Thames Police .court with Mr. Ballantine; afterwards
be sat occasionally at Lambeth-street Police-court, and then
he was appointed to Hatton-garden ; thence be removed
to the new Clerkenwell Police-court, and at :851 ho at his
own request came to Southwark court, in lieu of the late
Mr. Seeker, -'ho was removed to Greenwich. During the
time Mr. Combe presided at Southwark he was much re-
spected by the Bar anti all whe had business at the court.