The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-17 00:00:00

GENERAL BUTLER.

We have been favoured with the following letter,
dated New Orleans, Dec. 12, and addressed to a
gentleman in England :
Dear Sir,—The unexpected though long-desired
visit here of my brother Charles, after so long a
separation, has revived many slumbering memories
of the past. As you will remember, I preferred fol-
lowing my parents to America rather than go with
with my aunt to India. I reached Pittsburg, in
Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1833, where my parents
then resided. I continued up to the fall of 1841 in the
employ of merchants in that city and St. Louis, Mis-
souri, traversing in the meanwhile fur business pur-
poses, by every possible means of conveyance, but
chiefly on horseback, the States of Pennsylvania,
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, lowa, Missouri,
Kentucky, and Tennessee. Since then my travels have
extended into Arkansas, Texas, M ississi ppi,Aiabama,
Georgia, and Louisiana—always for business pur-
poses; I never had leisure for anything else. As
you may naturally suppose, I am tolerably conver-
sant with American affairs. Fur 16 years past I
have been in the commission business. Cotton has
been my speciality, and I have cultivated an in-
timate acquaintance with it, from the sowing of
the seed up to the time of its passage into the
hands of the spinner.
I came to this city in 1837 ; again in 1839; and
since 1841 have resided here permanently ; and if
it does not come permanently under the Govern-
ment at Washington, I expect to end my days here.
I could never sympathise with the mushroom aris-
tocracy of wealth, the canting phariseeism, and
hypocritical fanaticism I found at the North. Here
climate, society, &c., are more congenial. lam
aware that New Orleans has a bad reputation
abroad, but ail here is above ground ; things are
no worse than they seem, which cannot be said of
any Northern city.
Having been partially brought up among English
Quakers, I came here of comae an Abolitionist. I
understand and appeciate the sincerity, honesty,
and unselfishness characterising the miss of Eng-
lis Abolitionists, and bejieve they have no syn.,
pathy with their nominal brethren of New Eng-
land. Athiesm, selfishness, and hypocrisy have
combined with a blind fanaticism, under the guise
of philanthropy, to despoil the South of its wealth,
and to exterminate, if nothing else will acc9mplia-h
their purpose, a people wao have no sympathy with
them. The people of the North, more especially
the New England and middle States, are
endeavouring to force the South to deal
only in their markets and at their prices; to
support their marine, to obey their laws, and
adept their principles. To accomplish this, they
say slavery must be abolished ; if that be not suffi-
cient, they openly advocate, with the aid of foreign
soldiers, the extermination of the white race, that
their own people may occupy our productive lands.
" Rebels," they say, " h cite no t ights," and upon this
principle they act. Without shadow of law. and with
the connivance of those in authority, houses are
stripped, and the inmates robbed of t heir clothes and
little moveables. Some of these are sold here openly
at auction, while much, including female clothing,
table end bed linen, &c., are sent north to garnish the
persons end dwellings of Yankee officers or their
friends ; men and women imprisoned merely for an
expression of opinion, and their property seized. It
is believed that little of this property goes to the
Government; it is supposed to be largely shared
among the officers, &c. There would have been no
war if there had been nothing to steal. When
the Federal army came here most of the figkting
native population were with our army. The large
number of families receiving rations are mostly
foreigners by birth, and of the labouring classes)
who generally recognise the hand that feeds them.
General Butler levies contributions on the citizens
out of which to feed the poor; then, again, he takes
the city taxes, with which he employs some thou-
sands of men on public work.
He tells the poor and labouring people that they
are indebted to the generosity and clemency of the
United States Government for all this; and no man
or woman can receive a ration of food or be paid a
dollar for labour until he or she has taken the
oath of allegiance; and these are the Union
citizens of which he boasts. The Mayor,
City Treasurer, Street Commissioner, and
other city officers, have been sent here from the
North. The former officers of the city' weresent Lo

the forts without charge or trial. Most cf our large
merchants and moneyed corporations keep their
valuables in boxes in bank. One day an order was
issued that no bank should pay a cheque, or deliver
a bank box, or transfer stock, for or to any party
that had not taken the oath of allegiance. To save
this vast amount of property from General Butler's
clutches, of course multitudes took the oath. It
was a solemn farce; General Butler saw it, and,
being baulked of his pay, the next day his organ
charged these people with having perjured them-
selves. Every officer, director, and clerk, in any
public institution, bank, &c., was compelled to take
the cat hor resign. All such institutions, not obey-
ing, would be closed, or officered by appointees of
General Butler.
Government office's, backed by bayonets, com-
pelled sugar planters to sell them their crops,or have
them confiscated. After having purchased, pay-
ment was refused unless the oath was taken first.
fhousands of men really favourable to the South
were employed in public work who had not taken

the oath. Mien pay day came they were told,
No money for rebels ; you must take the oath."
Tnus, step by step, the people were brought under
control, not frcm choice, but necessity. Now, what
of the slaves ? Having been for 20 years amongst
them, seeing them at all times, and under all cir-
cumstances, in town or country, I have never seen
one whipped, or heard a cry of pain from punish-
ment of any sort, beyond what my own children
might utter under parental chastisement. I never
saw one hungry or naked from neglect, or dying
for want of care, excepting among those who have
been enticed for the basest purpose, and by whole-
sale price and official deceit ar:d malignity, from
their -legitimate owners and natural protectors, that
they might enjoy freedom to do nothing, to starve,
to shiver in the cold, and to die.

I have not the slightest doubt that more misery,
want, sickness, cruelty, and death have occurred
among those slaves within reach of, and under con-
trol of, the Federal Government, since the war
began, than could have been found among the whole
negro population of the South during the past ten
years. Negroes have been enticed from plantations,
and given back again in exchange for cotton and
sugar, They are taught that it is their duty to
steal from—nay, to kill—rebels. Negroes openly
call the first men and women in the community
rebels, and say that after Jan. 1 they will give the
rebels h-1. The testimony of a slave in a military
court is superior to that of his master, unless the
latter has taken the oath. Negro slaves, armed
and equipped as soldiers, are put to stand guard
over and insult—nay, to arrest—their unarmed for-
mer masters. The modus operandi of emancipation
is this :—The law of the last Congress declared every
slave free who should seek the protection of the
United States lines, and forbid any officer or soldier
to return ny such to slavery. Well, under all sorts
of inducements the negro comes by stealth' r openly
into the lines. He says he is free, and henceforth
gets a certificate to that effect from an officer. If he
is likely in appearance, he is asked to enlist as a
soldier, and called a citizen and United States sol-
dier. I have seen public official posters on the walls
designating them as "coloured citizens." I have
seen coloured armed soldiers drag white men by the
throat through those streets for no other offence
than standing in their way. A coloured man may in-
sult a white gentleman with impunity, and military
rule prevents the white man trom retaliation. But
a New England colonel (white) of a coloured regi-
ment of former slaves threatened a white gentle-
man for calling, one of his men a "nigger," and
openly told his men to " mark him when he re-
turned to the city."
Thousands of negroes who have left sugar plan-
tations have lately been sent back under such
circumstances as the following :—The owner of
the place gives the United States quartermaster,
or some other influential party a lien on the crop
of sugar, in consideration of which supplies of pro-
visions are furnished at the vendor's pried; and

further, 10 dols. per head per month is to be de-
ducted for each hand so engaged, of which 3 dols.
is to go to buy cicthes for the negro, and 7 dols. to
the United States Government or other party to the
contract. It is understood that these negroes are
not to be coerced, and they of course do as little
work as possible. None work over eight hours a
day. If all the powers of darkness had been let
loose to devastate a country, and give the people
into irreconcilable hatred, rather than union ofsen-
timent or action, it could not have been more effec-
tually done. Robbery, deceit, and oppression cha-
racterise all the actions of the United States Go-
vernment towards the SJuth. They don't care a
straw for the slaves otherwise than as an instru-
ment to further their own purposes.

Looking over the last sheet, I find that my pen,
in endeavouring to keep up with excited thoughts
and an impatient mood, has rendered much that I
have written almost unintelligible. I trust you
may he able to make it out.

With the termination of the war we may expect
much more direct trade with Europe; the future
expansion of business at this port will be both ex-
tensive and rapid. I shall bo most happy to an-
swer by letter inquiries that may be addressed to
me here, either from yourself or your friends.—
Yours very truly, * *

P.S. My two youngest brothers and cousin Harry
are in the Confederate army. I should have great
pleasure in presenting to you my Southern wife,
one daughter, and five suns; but I fear some time
must elapse before this gratification, even in part,
can be realised.

SUCKING AND BLOWING THE MAIL.

--♦

Just 208 years have elapsed since the then Burgomaster
of Magdeburgh, Otto von Uuericke, invented the air-pus
and astonished the Emperor of Germany at Regensburgh,
by exhibiting the apparatus in action. By means of this
contrivance he exhausted a tube wherein a piston was fitted
and made to slide easily, and thus raised a heavy weight to
a considerable height. Since the time of the ingenious and
scientific burgomaster—who, it is some satisfaction to say.
had previously been a student at Oxford University—many
efforts have bee:. made to em boy atmospheric pressure in the
performance of mechanical and industrial operations. These
efforts have for the most part proved failures, commercially
or practically, and we really have not succeeded to any ex-
tent as yet, in pressing the atmosphere into active service.
Everybcdy remembers the various railway schemes on the
atmospheric principle which, from time to timer have occu-
pied the attention of our cleverest mechanics, and all know
that they have been abandoned. Mr. Brunel tried the sys-
tem in South Devon until the patience of he shareholders
with whom he had to deal was exhausted more completely
than the propelling tubes of the railway ever was by the
application of his gigantic pumps, and then the whole of his
costly apparatus was sold as old iron. The Kingstown-Dal-
key atmospheric line maintained its ground longer than any
other, but at last yielded to the locomotive, and has ceased
to exist. These are certainly far from being encouraging
facts, but they assuredly will not deter other inventors
worthy disciples of Otto von Guericke—from perseverance
in the same direction. For their comfort, it may be men-
tioned, that in one remarkable instance, at least, atmos-
pheric pressure has be n made subservient to mechanical
art, and is employed efficiently and economically. The
Coinage of the British Empiie is stamped entirely by its
force. We have not space not time at present to enter into
a description of the beautiful arrangement of air-pumps,
vacuum chambers, levers, springs, and valves, by means of
which impressions are given at the Mint, with rapidity
and precision, to the coins which issue from that establish-
ment. It must suffice to say that the air we breathe lite-
rally coins the money we use, and that therefore there is
yet hope for atmospheric engineers. It is now proposed to
make the atmosphere our General Postman, as well as our
Chief Coiner, and we cannot see any practical obstacle to
its becoming so. The only doubtful point--and it is one
which actual experiment can alone solve—is the commercial
one. That atmospheric pressure may be made to transfer
letters and parce's by wholesale from the Land's End to
John o' Groat's, is a certainty. That its employment, in
lieu of other modes of transit, will effect advantages in a
pecuniary sense is another question. The Pneumatic De-
spatch Company, which has new been in existence some
two years, answers the important query affirmatively; and
on a comparatively small scale they az e essaying to demon-
strate the truth of their views.—Building News.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

►,

WAKEFIELD-JAN. 16.

The wheat trade is quiet to-day, and for good sorts late
prices were realised. In beans, oats, and shelling there
was no alteration.

EXETER-JAN. 16.

Wheat, white 6s 3d tas 6d I Barley. 48 3d to 4s 6d
Ditto red .6s Od to 6s 6d I Oats .........2s 9d to 3s Od
Flour, fine, 36s to 37s ; seconds, 34s to 35s per sack..;
CATTLE.
We again had a small supply of all descriptions of stock
to-day. Business dull.

Fat beef, p so., 10s6d to llsOd Ewes, per 11:-: ....6/c1 to 61 i
Pork carcases, 7s 6d to 8s 6d Wethers, d 0...., 61d to 7u
Lamb, p to d Fat calves, d0...6fd to 7 •
Rough fat; -aid per lb.

STAMFORD—JAN. 16.
New wheat, 48s to 52s red, 44s to 46a per 36 stone.
Barley, 30s to 40s per qr. Oats, 20s to 26s per 24 stone.
Beans, 404 to 44s per qr.

COAL

ARK ET

. ?met* of Coal per Ton a'
s. d.
13yass's Bebside West
Hartley ....16' 3
Cowpen Hartley 16 3
Hastings Hartley l6.
Eden l7 9
Curway and Dnfiryn
Malting
Do. Anthraeite 20 6
Wylam ..16 3
ilolywell l6 3
Lambert's West Hart-

the olowe of the marker.
Walls End.

ITunstall
South Hartlepool -- 17 6
Brs.ddyll's lietton..... 18 3
Haswell l9 0
South lie Hoe 18 0
South Hetton 19 0
Burn l7 0
Harton l7 3
Hartlepool 18 6
/leugh Hall 17 9
Wharnelifle 17 6
Stewart's lB 6
Shincliffe l7 6
Sheriff Hill 15 0
Mussel's lletton 18 0
Txinidon Hartlepool lB 6
Peases West .15 6
131; sold, 121.

ley 16 0
North Potion Gas 15 0
Canfield Moor Butes l3 6
West Hartley l6 3
alker Primrose 13 0