The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-07 00:00:00

CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA.

LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.
The Great Eastern, which left New York on the
afternoon of the 26th, has arrived.
An official bulletin was issued by the President
on the 11th, assigning Major-General H. W. Hal-
leck to the command of the whole of the land force,
as General-in-Chief, and ordering him to Washing-
ton. On the 23d the General had a conference
with the President, Generals Pope and Burnside
being present. Great repugnance to dranghting
for soldiers was expressed in official circles. On
the 25th General Halleck left Washington for
General M'Clellan's head-quarters.
Ex-President Martin Van Buren died on the 24th
ult. at his residence at Lindenwold, in the 79th
year of his age.
The following official document respecting the
new tax law had been issued :
" By authority of a joint resolution of the Congress of
the United States, approved on the 17th day of July inst.,
notice is hereby given that the let day of September next
is fixed and determined upon as the day on which the ' Act
to provide internal revenue to support the Government and
to pay interest on the public debt' shall be put into prac-
tical operation; and any act or thing which in said Act is
required to be done on or before the Ist day of July or
August, in the year 1862, shall be done on or before the Ist
day of September, 1862, and all parts of said Act having
reference to said dates of the Ist days of July and August,
1862, shall be taken and construed as having reference to
the Ist day of September, 1862. Collectors and assessors
will be appointed, and whatever other things may be neces-
sary to put the Act into practical operation will be done
before the date fixed by this notice."
Orders had been transmitted to the Charlestown,
Massachusetts, Navy-yard, for the construction of
an iron-clad battery, which, from its peculiar model,
is unquestionably designed for harbour defence. It
will be 240 ft, long, 53ft. beam over all, and 11ft.
deep. It is required to draw 12ft., and to register
1,300 tons. Her upper deck will be flush like that
of the Monitor, neither bulwarks nor rail rising
above it. This deck will consist of 6in. oak planks,
with lain. of iron plating outside of that. Her iron
mail on the outside of the hall will be Sin. thick.
The following arrangements had been made re-
specting the carrying out of the new Tax Bill :-

17-Governor Ramsey, of Minnesota, and others, had an
interview with Secretary Chase this morning (the 25th) on
the subject of the Tax Bill. It was decided that for Min-
nesota and other small States there shall be but one asses-
sor for the State, and a collector for each district. In the
larger States, excepting probably in cities, each district
will have an assessor and collector. All the applications
are now being considered, and the appointments will be
wmouneed before the dose of next month. The Commis-
sioner of Internal Revenue, Mr. Boutwell, with the ap-
proval of the Secretary of the Treasury, in order that the
Act of Congress of the 17th of July inst. may be carried
into effect more speedily, to-day submitted the following
propositions for the consideration of the Postmaster-Gene-
ral, who has considered and adopted them, namely—
" 1. That the Post-office Department furnish the Trea-
sury Department with such postage stamps as may be
necessary for currency ; that Department paying to the
Pont-office Department the net costs thereof.
" 2. That the arrangement shall cease at the option of
either party, or when the Treasury Department is prepared
to issue its own stamps as currency.
"3. The stamps to be so prepared that they can be dis-
tinguished easily from the ordinary postage-stamps.
"4. The stamps to be redeemed by the Treasury Depart-
ment, as contemplated by the Act of July 17, 1862.
"5. Such stamps to be received by the Post-office De-
partment for postage, and to be at all times exchangeable
for ordinary postage-stamps.

" Arrangements will be immediately made to carry the
above propositions into effect."

On the 25th a meeting of citizens took place at
Philadelphia, at which 45,000 dole. were subscribed
towards raising ten regiments. No person sub-
scribed less than 1,000 dols., and some subscribed as
high as 3,900 dols. The Pennsylvania Railroad
Company had offered to contribute 50,000 dole. to
provide for bounties to volunteers. Numerous
meetings had taken place in the different States, at
which subscriptions were made in aid of enlistments.

General Pope had promulgated the following
order respecting disloyal persons in Virginia

" GENERAL ORDER No. 11.

" Headquarters of the Army of Virginia, July 23.
" Commanders of army corps, divisions, brigades, and
detached commands will proceed immediately to arrest all
disloyal male citizens within their lines or within their
reach in their respective stations. Such as are willing to
take the oath of allegiance to the United States, and will
furnish sufficient security for its observance, shall be per-
mitted to remain at their homes, and pursue in good faith
their accustomed avocations. Those who refuse shall be
conducted to the South, beyond the extrema pickets of this
army, and be notified that if found again anywhere within
our lines, or at any point in the rear, they will be consi-
dered spies, and subjected to the extreme rigour of military
law, If any person, having taken the oath of allegiance as
above specified, shall be found to have violated it, he shall
be shot, and his property seized and applied to the public
use. All communication with any person whatever living
within the lines of the enemy is positively prohibited, ex-
cept through the military authorities, and in the manner
specified by military law, and any person concerned in
writing, or in carrying letters or messages in any other
way, will be considered and treated as a spy within the lines
of the United States' army.

"By command of Major-General Pope,
"GEORG RUGGLES, Colonel, Assistant-Adjutant
General, and Chief of the Staff."

The General had also ordered the seizure of all
horses and mules not absolutely needed by the in-
habitants of the surrounding country. Stores also
were to be seized. In a despatch dated the 24th
General Pope announces that General King with
a body of Federal cavalry defeated the Confederate
cavalry on the 23d, near Carmel Church, on the
telegraph road from Fredericksburg to Richmond.
He subsequently defeated another body of cavalry.
General Pope had prohibited the placing of guard
over private houses or private property.
Advices of the 20th from Vicksburg report that
the bombardment was still proceeding without much
effect. The canal was completed, but the water
would not be let in until the river rose.

Advices from Key West of the 18th ult. state
that her Majesty's ships Landrail and Rinaldo had
arrived, and were taking in coal from the British
bark Adventurer. The prize schooner Julia, Miele
Mcse, and the William had been brought into port.
The schooner Will o' the Wisp had been released.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
The /Veto
York Slapping and Commercial List of
the 26th reTiewe the position of financial affairs as
follows :

"Afar better feeling i
and
the recent
Prevalent in financial and com-
mercial circles,
insert deep despondency under
which the nation rested
rsed d
cgs gra duall y supee by
buoyancy and confidence. The
that the urgent necessity of a, moreB apparent. The fact
gorous prosecution of
the war for the Union has at length:l
at the National Capitol, and has me e fully appreciated
energy into the War Department, ig ,f ',eawed vigour and
tt
ante, and that it is so regarded by ceirLmount import-
and business men of every calling, isabturdZl.l,_ maerchants,
the history of the past few days. The annoyla
n
Major-General Halleck has been appointe
Chief of the entire land forces of the United StateurZa-M-
-very general satisfaction, and it is believed that heneettla
the war will be prosecuted with a view only of spee4
overthrowing the rebellion. The great apparent want of
unity and energy in the War Department, which has been
so painfully manifest in the past several months, it ishoped
and believed, has finally been brought to a termination by
the timely and judicious appointment of GeneralHalleck to
the supreme command, the announcement of which has re-
sulted in a healthy reaction in the public mind, and a con-
sequent equally manifest improvement in the financial affairs
here and elsewhere. The situation of affairs iu Eastern
Virginia is regarded as decidedly more hopeful than at any
time for many months, and now, more than ever, it is be-
lieved that the fate of the rebellion will be speedily sealed
by the defeat of the Confederate army on the Peninsula and
the fall of Richmond. It is becoming more and more evi-
dent that in order to effectually prevent the much-dreaded
foreign interference in American affairs the Government
must make it manifest that it is determined that the war
shall soon be ended, and that the interest of other countries
shall not be made to much finger suffer to the disastrous
extent that they now suffer by any dilatoriness of the
United
States' Government ; and the events of the past few
days afford evidence that the authorities at Washington are
acting on this assumption. Therefore, ,notwithstanding the
continued clamour the British f
capitalists are becoming more confident that there will be
no intervention, unless it shall be demonstrated, that the
0 Wil existence, that thte uisnot capable of maintaining its
nitecl States must inevitably be
divided, and the North and
as a permanent alyiaSolouth for ever separated. In-
asmuchrekon as among things oamnbiof the country is hardly
that the war is to be presecuud e;iand as the promises are
vigour and determination to satisfy
ttuture with sufficient
ad-
vocates of that policy, fears of foreign i3lm. most' strenuous
b dissipated, and the t i
asi rvent_on are gra-
Wall-street and other money marts is be„,,,_t of things in
• —..g correspond-
ingly brighter,
"The improvement 111 everything PertainiNg to
mous.,

tart' and Government affairs has had a most depressing
effect on the market for gold, and the speculators are just
beginning to experience the effect of the adverse current,
which has set in so strong since our las , and which
bids fair to work ruin among some of them who have
been buying up everything in the shape of specie, with a
view of so controlling the market as to f ~ce its fictitious
valuation to a much higher point than it I as yet attained.
The premiums on gold and silver have declined from 4 to
6 per cent. since our last, though quotation at the close
were little better than nominal. Large amounts of gold
have changed hands, and large sales were effected yester-
day as low as llf per cent. prem. against 20 to 201 per cent.
prem. on Tuesday last. The high prices paid for gold have
drawn immense amounts hero ft om all directions, and to
this fact, probably, the reaction is attributable. The
amount in the banks is fast increasing.

" Foreign exchange was completely unsettled by the
great decline in gold, and drawers of sterling would scarcely
name a price at which they would sell, Sterling, 126 to
129. Business has been light.
" In trade circles there has been less general activity, the
disturbance in specie and exchange having restricted busi-
ness considerably. In view of the large decline in those
commodities, most articles of merchandise are held with less
firmness—and some articles which were previously very
firm, with an upward tendency, are a shade easier. Bread-
stuffs have, for the mast part, been active for export, and
advancing, but the decline in gold and sterling exchange
occasitned a considerable reduction in prices yesterday,
when there was legal eagerness to buy, and a more general
desire to realise. The public have been notified by District
Attorney Hall, that on and after Aug. 1, on which day the
Anti-Shinplaster Law of the United States goes into effect,
they will prosecute every person who may issue shinplasters
or other promises to pay. A telegram received last evening
from Washington states that an arrangement has been
made by which the Post-office Department will furnish
stamps for currency, redeemable by the Treasury Depart-
ment.

" Trade in domestic dry goods is less active, owing to the
extreme rates which are demanded, and the downward
tendency in raw cotton. Nearly all descriptions are held
firmly, however, and high prices and enormous profits are
still the order of the day.