The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-03 00:00:00

to be hanged for aiding the escape of a spy. If
this was so, the President of the Confederate States
informed Gen. Butler that he should inflict the

same punishment of death upon a citizen of the
_ . .

United States in retaliation.

In reply, Gen. Butler stated that Vie information
received by Mr. Davis was incorrect, and Mr. Van
Bentheysen was pursuing his ordinary avocations
in New Orleans, having been released some time
since on parole, Gen. Butler closed his note to
Gen, Lovell with the following remarks ;
To prevent the necessity of flags of truce con-
taining threats to me hereafter, allow me to add
that in no degree will they change the course either
of punishment or of justice which my judgment
may determine.

With respect to the attack on Charleston the
Boston Traveller says :—We have received a pri-
vate note from our correspondent at Port Royal, in
which he states that the effective Federal force en-
gaged in the attack upon Charleston does not ex-
ceed 5,000 or 6,000 men. Notwithstanding the
large numbers opposed to them, our troops have
fought with great bravery, and in every engage-
ment have put to flight superior numbers. There
is, however, a loud call upon the Government to
send forward reinforcements,which are much needed
to garrison Port Royal and other points. With
the reinforcements which the enemy have undoubt-
-1 edly been able to send to Charleston, we should
consider Gen. Hunter's army in a very dangerous
situation, were it not for his gunboats. These
having entire command of the water passages
around the islands, will doubtless be able to protect
him until he has a sufficient army to attack the
city.

The reported surrender of Fort Morgan, near
Baton Rouge, was premature. The power of de-
fence seems to have been greater than had been an-
ticipated. Both the gunboats and the flotilla had
hard work, while a severe land engagement had
been reported.
A Memphis despatch of the 17th says :—The
shipments north ap to-day have been—Cotton, 3,000
bales ; molasses, 5,000 barrels and 3,000 half barrels;
sugar, 6,000 barrels. There was much coming in
yesterday.
Provost Marshal Gould administered the oath of
allegiance yesterday to three hundred persons, in-
cluding 150 deserters from the rebel army, and five
commissioned officers.
Beauregard's left wing extended to Hernando
South.

It is supposed the cotton burners are within six
miles of Memphis.

Last night there were reports of turbulence
among the slaves in Crittenden and Mississippi

counties, Arkansas.
The Provost Marshal General of Missouri had
issued an order instructing the Provost Marshal of
St. Louis to cause all persons in the city suspected
of disloyalty or sympathy with the rebels to take
the oath of allegiance to the United States Govern-
ment; and that all persons known to be disloyal
shall be required to give bonds for their observance
of the oath. The Marshal also directs the arrest of
all persons guilty of disloyal conduct, whether such
consists of acts, or knowledge of the acts of others.
Ex-Senator Pierre Soule and Sheriff Mazeran, of
New Orleans, reached New York on the 19th, and
were forthwith placed in Fort Lafayette as poli-
tical prisoners.
A Washington telegram of the 19th says :
The Post-office department has concluded an ar-
rangement with the Hamburg, Bremen, and Liver-
pool line of transatlantic steamers, by which the
fastest steamer of each of the three lines are ac-
cepted for the United States Mail service through-
out the year, thus securing a fast steamer for the
conveyance of the mails on each of the United
States sailing days, viz., on Saturdays from New
York, and on Wednesdays from Southampton or
Liverpool.
English papers by the last steamer assert that
the Circassian condemned for attempting to run the
blockade could not have entered our Southern ports
on account of her great draft of water, but it is
known by the Government that the Circassian was
not only bound to Charleston, but the facts show
she could easily have entered New Orleans, Mobile,
Pensacola, Savannah, Charleston, or Wilmington.
The vessel and cargo are valued at about one
million four hundred thousand dollars, after paying

all the expenses of the prize court, which it is said

are extravagant; one half of the remainder goes to
the Government, and the other moiety to the offi-

cers and crew of the vessel which seized the prize.
Congress has inquired why the prize courts of

Philadelphia and New York do not take any action
towards condemning some .of the rebel vessels
which have been captured. The result of the in-
quiry may produce facts of a startling character.
Three or four thousand seamen for the naval ser-
vice are immediately wanted. At present there are
only 39 men available in all New England. The
question is asked, where are all the New England
fishermen P

In the House of Representatives on the 19th Mr.
Arnold, of Illinois, from the committee, reported a
bill establishing at Chicago a national foundry for
the manufacture and repair of ordnance and muni-
tions of war, and appropriating 200,000 dole. for
the purpose. Also for establishing naval depots
and yards on Lakes Erie, Michigan, and Ontario—
appropriating 250,000 dols. The bills were referred
to the committee of the whole, A resolution was
adopted in favour of the adjournment of Congress
on the 30th June, provided the Senate concurred.
The city of Philadelphia tendered, through one
of its representatives, as a free gift: to the govern-
ment, the property known as League Island, for
the purposes of a navy yard.
The bill to free from servitude the slaves of cer
tain "rebels" engaged in or abetting the rebellion
was passed in the house by a vote of 82 against 54.
The latest dates from Mexico, via Havannah, are
to the 2d June. General Douai had left Vera Cruz
with 800 men and a convoy of provisions for the
French encampments. There was no news from
the interior.
The Canadian news is unimportant. The latest
New York telegrams to the evening of the 21st
quote sterling exchange at 118 for bankers' and 117
for commercial bills; gold, 01 per cent. premium ;
United States Sixes of 'Bl, 103. Cotton was ad-
vancing under the poor prospects of supply from
the South. Sales of three days, 4,500 bales. Mid-
dling Upland, 32c. Flour sells at 4 dols. 50e. for
extra State ; mixed corn, 53c. Spirits : turpentine
dull at 1 dol. 35c.

CAPTURE OF A CONFEDEI?A7E G UN-
BOAT BY A NEGRO.

A brave deed has just been done by a negro, I
one of that race that slaveholders tell us
are not able to take care of themselves. Nine
coloured men, comprising the pilot, engineers, and
Crew of the rebel gunbcat Planter, took it under
their exclusive control, passed the batteries and
farts in the Charleston harbour, hoisted the white
`flag' '4ll out to the blockading squadron, and
I thence to
Port Royal via St. Helena Sound and
Broad River,
the evening.
the flagship Wabash at ten
"I
o'clock in evening. The guiding spirit was the
pilot, Robert Small,
who planned the expedition
and carried it out,
Re is an intelligent negro,
born in Charleston, and employed for many years
as pilot in and about that harbour. He entered
upon his duties on board thepienter some six weeks
since, and, as he says, adopted the idea of running
the vessel to sea from a
joke 'which one of his
y
companions perpetrated. He immediately cautioned
the crew against alluding to the matter in any ma
on board the boat, but asked them, if they wanted
to take it up in sober earnestness, to meet at his
house, where they would devise and determine upon
a plan to place themseivc:s tinder the protection of
the Stara and Stripes instead of the stars and bars.
Various plans were proposed; but
filially the whole
arrangement of the escape was left to
the discretion
and sagacity of Robert, his companions promising
to obey him and be ready at a moment's notice to
.i
accompany him.
For three days he kept the p.°_
visions of his party secreted in the hold, awaiting
an cppo:tunity to slip away. At length on
white 'Mon"
day evenings the officers of the vessel went
on shore to spend the night, intending to start on
the following morning for Fort Ripley and to be
absent from the city for some days. The

families or the contrabands were notified and came I
stealthily on board. At about three o'clock the fires
were lit under the boilers, and the vessel steamed
quietly away, down the harbour. The tide was
against her and Fort Sumter was not reached till
broad daylight. However, the boat passed directly
under its walls, giving the usual signal—two long
pulls and jerk at the whistle cord—as she passed the
sentinel. When out of the ran ze of the rebel guns she
steered for the Federal fleet. Small has been liberally
rewarded by Congress, and has shown himself every
inch a man. There has been an appropriation of
20,000 doll. as a reward to the plucky Africans who
have distinguished themselves by this gallant service

-5,000 dole. to be given to the pilot, and the remain-
der to be divided among his companions. The vessel
will be of service to the Government. She is a
high-pressure, side-wheel steamer, 140 feet in length,
and about 55 feet beam, and draws about five feet
of water. She was built in Charleston, was for-
merly used as a cotton boat, and is capable of carry-
ing about 1,400 bales. On the organisation of the
Confederate navy she was transferred into a gun-
boat, and was the most valuable war vessel the
Confederates had at Charleston. Her armament
consisted of one 32-pound rifle gun forward, and a
24-pound howitzer aft. Besides, she had on board
when she came into the harbour one 7-inch rifled
gun, one 8-inch columbiad, one 8-inch howitzer,
one long 32-pounder, and about 200 rounds of am-
munition, which bad been consigned to Fort
Ripley.— Correspondent to the (London) Freeman.