The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-05 00:00:00

Miscellaneous American News,

A telegram from New York, dated Jan. 26, an-
nounces that President Johnson has approved the
bill for re-assembling Congress on the 4th March

nexc.

When the steamer Fashion, on the Mississippi
river, was discovered to be on fire she was run
aground about seven miles above Baton Rouge, so
that the people upon the bow could leap on shore.

The fire raged in the middle of the boat about the
boilers, preventing those in the after part from

escaping by the bow. The women then in a frantic
state of despair threw their children into the river,

and sprang in after them. The commander, Cap-
tain Pratt, and Mr. Hastings, the chief mate, sac-

ceeded in rescuing many of those struggling in the
water, clinging to chairs and fragments of wood

which had been thrown overboard, by means of a

small boat. There were about 300 passengers on
board, of whom about 50 were drowned.
Mayor Hoffman stated in his message that the
total funded debt of New York city is $30,642,076,
and of the county $11,809,100—total $42,142,176,

which, substracting the sinking fund, is reduced to

$30,901,878. Of —this, $11,000,000 are for the
Croton Water-works, $10,000,000 for the Central-

park, and $14,445,000 for expenses growing out of

the w ar.

'rhe tax levy of last year was

$16,950,767, of which $Bll,OOO were for salaries,
$501,000 for street cleaning, $763,000 for lamps
and gas, and $5,271,000 for police, board of health,
asylums, and the support of the county govern-
ment. The Mayor thinks au immense amount of

personal property escapes taxation entirely, and
that if it could be got at, it would reduce the rate at
least one-half. The Mayor says that while in

theory New York is governed by the Mayor and
city council----in fact it is not, and he hopes for a
change on the meeting of the state convention. He
recommends the improvement of the wharves and
piers, the extension of Fifth Avenue through
Washington-square, and of Centre-street to Fourth
Avenue, to relieve the press of travel, and laments
the widening of Ann-street, and the want of
markets in the city.
The Protestant Episcopal Church of the United
States embraces 2,306 parishes, having 2,530 clergy-
men and 161,225 lay members. The contributions
of the Church, for charitable purposes, during 1866,
amounted to nearly $4,000,000.
The scheme to restore salmon to the rivers of
New Hampshire, operations under whish were be-
gun two years ago, is considered successful. Pro-
fessor Agassiz recommends that the various dams be
so constructed as to admit of the free passage of the
fish. Spawn deposited in Baker's River, a short
time since, is hatching.

The receipts of the New York Tribune for the
first week in January amounted to $62,869,98.

Subscriptions to American newspapers are generally
renewed in January. Nevertheless, the 7 ribune's
return is a large one.
The House of Representatives has passed a bill
prohibiting any person who took part in the rebel-

lion from practising at law.
Tennessee has rejected in its Legislature a bill to
establish free schools. Upon which an exchange
remarks :—" Until the Tcnnesseeans learn that a
popular government is based upon popular intelli-
gence, and regard free schools as more necessary
than a militia force or a loyal legislature, they may
expect constant disorder and inveterate disloyalty."
An invoice of twelve fierce-looking Camanches, in-
tended for the French Exhibition, has been received
in New York. The Camanches are to be lodged dur-
ing their stay at some high and strong-barred hold,
say the place used as the tarrying place of United
States witnesses at the Tombs. how they can be
taken with safety to themselves and the rest of
mankind to Europe is more than an ordinary mind
can determine.
A later despatch from Fort Lafamie says the re-
cent massacre of United States troops by Indians
did not occur near the old Fort Kearney, but in the

vicinity of Fort Philip Kearny, Dacotah territory.
The latter is situated at the fork of the two piney
creeks, in the centre of the mountain districts of
the military department of the Platte, and in the
heart of the region occupied by the hostile tribes,
the Sioux and the Cheyennes. Its defence consists
of a well-made stockade of timber, pierced with
loop-holes for musketry. At two of the corners
were block houses of timber logs, 18 inches in dia-
meter. It is thought that the post was captured by
treachery, as the force there should have been able to
stand a siege, and it seems hardly possible that it
could have been captured by Indian assault. On
the other hand, the savages have so constantly
manifested their hostility that it is difficult to see
how the troops could have been beguiled into any
relaxation of vigilance.
We
.notice the following in the Nation:—

" Amongst the laws of North Carolina is a statute
disfranchising all persons who have been guilty of
larceny and similar offences, and have been punished
therefore by whipping. In order to head off,' as
is said, any action of Congress tending to enfran-
chise the negroes, the whites of that State are taking
every opportunity of arresting them, convicting them
of various petty crimes, and sentencing them to be
publicly whipped. This is occurring in all parts of
the State, and an army officer asserts that the sub-
ject is freely discussed amongst the members of the
Senate and House of Commons, ono of them re-
marking, on one occasion We are licking them
in our part of the State, and if we keep on we can
lick them all by next year, and none of them can
vote.' Says the officer mentioned above I
cannot resist the conviction that there is a deliberate
and general purpose to seize negroes, procure con-
victions for petty offences punishable at the whip.
ping-post, and thus disqualify them for ever from
voting in North Carolina, whatever may be the
future action of the nation.' "
A colony of 3,000 freedmen are about to settle in
lands granted by the Government at New Smyrna,
Florida. Six hundred freedmen have already left
Charleston for the new Liberia.
In a letter to Secretary Stanton, General Howard
presents some estimates of the number of blacks in
the South at the present time, which are compared
as follows with the census of 1860 :

1860. Dec. 1866.
North Carolina ... 361,522 361,522
Louisiana ..• 350,373 330,373
Florida ... ••• ... 62,677 62,677
Virginia ... •.• ... 548,907 500,000
South Carolina •.. ... 412,320 375,000
Mississippi ▪
437,404 420,000
Arkansas ▪ 111,259 100,000
Georgia ... ..• ... 465,698 400,000
Missouri ... 118,563 100,000
Texas ... 182,921 200,000
Tennessee ... ... 283,019 300,000
The coloured population of Mississippi, as printed
in theletter, is 320 ; but as General Howard speaks
of only a slight" decrease in this State, there is
evidently a mistake which needs correction. From
the foregoing figures it appears that there has been
a good deal of shifting and much presumable loss
among the blacks. The Gulf States have contributed
to fill up Texas and Tennessee, where an urgent
demand for labour, on the one hand, and a loyal
Government on the other, offered a refuge from
idleness, precarious pay, persecution, and wicked
laws. Kansas and lowa have drained Missouri and
Arkansas ; Maryland and the District of Columbia,
and indirectly the entire North, have lightened Vir-
ginia. Louisiana may have parted with some of
her blacks, but must also have received many, act-
ing, perhaps, as a sieve to Texas. The emigration
to Florida will-be more apparent hereafter. Alto-
gether, about 225,000 blacks are accounted for in
the States enumerated. The natural increase in the
past six years would have been about 350,000, and
allowing that 100,000 will represent the number
who have removed to, and still inhabit, States not
included in the list above, we have a deficit of