The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-11 00:00:00

AMERICA.

SOUTHAMPTON, THURSDAY.
The North Gera; an Lloyd screw steamship New
York, Capt. G. Wezike, bringing mails from New
York to the 28th ult., arrived off Cowes at 3 30 p.m.,
and went on to Brem,ln after transshipping mails,
&c., for this port. She
brings four passengers for
Southampton, 21 for Hann and 169 for Bremen,
with 500 dole. specie and a Argo cargo for the
last-named place.
During the passsage the Bremen spoke
`4l 16 W. the
lowing vessels :—Oct. 7, lat. 49 9 N.,
the fol.-
American schooner Black Swan, steering past; ; Bth,
lat. 49 31 N., 14 41 W., the American ship SeNat.or,
steering westward; 9th, off Scilly, the English
schooner Volga, steering about N.E.
The Belgian steamer Congress, from Antwerp,
arrived at New York on the 27th in a disabled con-
dition, and was towed up the bay.
Affairs at Washington were quiet, and along the
lines of the army across the Potomac. The Con-
federates were keeping remarkably still, not even
showing themselves at any point. It had recently
been discovered by the Potomac flotilla that new
batteries had been erected by the Confederates at
Freestone Point, and on the 25th two or three ves-
sels approached the place and threw in a few shells,
which elicited a response. The location of the batte-
ries having been ascertained, it was thought that
measures would soon be taken to capture them, as
they had rifled cannon, which proved a consider-
able annoyance to vessels passing up or down. The
only occurrence of moment near Washington on
the 27th was the discovery of another Confederate
battery on the Lower Potomac, at the month of the
Occoquan Creek. The schooner William Allen,
from New York, loaded with hay, was fired upon
by it, some 12 shots in all. Two shells entered her
deck-load, and another struck her cabin, but fortu-
nately did not explode. These shells were fired
from a 30-pound rifled cannon, supposed to be the
Parrot gun captured at Bull Run. A despatch
from Washington of the 27th says :
" The steamer Yankee arrived at the Navy-yard
to-day without being molested by the rebel battery
at Freestone Point, which is about 25 miles below
Washington. The transport Delaware was fired at
yesterday as she passed that point, seven shots being
thrown, striking over and around her without the
least damage. The battery is represented as being
a large one, with the rebel flag prominently flying.
It is thought by others attached to the Potomac
flotilla that there are other forts or batteries be-.
tween Freestone Point and Acquis Creek, but that,
as yet, they are concealed by the trees, which are
thick along the shore. The policy of the rebels
seems to be to first build their offensive works and
then to clear the woods in their front. This view
of their operations is strengthened by the report of
a farmer from Occoquan that the rebel troops are
in considerable force between Occoquan and Acquia
Creek. He further says they are building forts
and drawing cannon thither.
" Paymaster Gallagher, having given satisfactory
security to the Government for the settlement of
his accounts, embracing a long cruise in the East
Indies, at the Naval Academy, and at the Washing-
ton Navy-yard, has been released from arrest."

The latest intelligence from General Lane re
ported him to bemoving towards Oceola, in Western
Missouri. He had a fight on the 21st ult. at Papins-
vine, with a superior force of the Confederates,.
whom he surprised and routed. His loss was 17
killed and a large number wounded, while the Con-
federates lost 40 killed, 100 prisoners, and all their
tents, waggons, and supplies. General Lane had
issued a proclamation to the citizens of Western
Missouri, guaranteeing protection to all not in
arms against the Government.
From Cairo we learn of a skirmish at Lucas Bend,
on the Mississippi River, between a cavalry com-
pany, commanded by Captain Stewart, numbering
75, and a company of Confederate cavalry. The
latter were pursued into Jefferson Thompson's camp,
at Belmont, with the loss of four killed, five cap-
tured, and many more wounded. The remainder
scattered into the woods. A report prevailed at
Cairo that the Confederates had crossed the river
below, but it proved to be untrue. Jefferson
Thompson has under his command about 2,000 men.
Occasional reports were received of a privateer
down the coast in the vicinity of Cape Hatteras,
notwithstanding the proximity of the Federal crui-
sers at Hatteras Inlet. The brig Arabella, Capt.
Lindsley, arrived at New York from Aspinwall,
reports that on the 20th, in lat. 33 deg. 56 min.
long. 74 deg. 56 min., she was chased by a schooner,
with the English ensign set union down, but the
Arabella, by altering her course and squaring away
before the wind, soon left her astern, upon finding
which the schooner hauled her wind, took down the
English flag, and boldly set the flag of the Confede-
rate States. Capt. Lindsley also states that upon
the following day he saw the same schooner far
astern, chasing a brig, but she did not succeed in
overhauling her.
Another flag of truce was reported to have arrived
at Fortress Monroe, from Norfolk, accompanying
25 ladies desirous of proceeding north. The steamer
carrying the flag was stopped near Sewall's Point,
and the passengers were taken off by one of our
vessels, Commodore Goldsborough having very pro-
perly decided that no more flags of truce shall come
near our fleet. There was nothing later from Hat-
teras Inlet or the other points of interest below.
According to a despatch from Cincinnatti, John
C. Breekinridge, on the 25th, had a narrow escape
from falling into the hands of the Federal autho-
rities. A detachment of one of the Ohio regi-
ments succeeded in capturing James B. Clay and
16 others, while on their way to join Zollicoffer,
and Breckinridge was understood to have been
in Cincinnatti with the party, but succeeded in
making his escape.
The commander of a vessel which arrived at
Boston on the 26th from Demerara, which port
she loft on the 4th, reports that the pirate Sumter
had been at Surinam, where she was supplied
with coal by an English planter. She left on
the Ist, steering southward. She was supposed
to be in the track of coffee-laden vessels from
Rio Janeiro.
" Since our last," says the New Fork Shipping
Gazette of the 26th ult. :
" There have been several important seizures of
vessels at. this port by the surveyor. The ship
Great Republic, which arrived in ballast yesterday
off quarantine, was boarded there by a revenue
officer and taken possession of. 5-16ths of the vessel
is owned by W. B. Whitehead, of Virginia, and
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5-16ths by Richard A. Riddock, of North Carolina.
Theß
the
Danville arrived in port
Janeiro, in ballast. The owners reside in Rich-
mond, Virginia, from which port the vessel sailed
four days after the bombardment of Fort Sumter,
with a cargo of tobacco. It is said that this vessel
attempted to run the 'blockade with a cargo of
coffee, but was ordered. off by one of the United
States' frigates. The schooner Medora also arrived
on Thursday in ballast. She is wholly owned in
North Carolina. The brig Kensington is entirely
owned in South Carolina."
The telegraph on the 27th announced a most de-
structive break in the high embankment of the old
portion of the Erie Canal, at Holly, Orleans county.
The whole embankment was swept away. The
bottom of the canal was also gone out to the depth
nwalo,ulwdhbieohconwsoturuldetepdroaht
athhleyjtuankce
two or three days. Navigation could then be re-
-
otifoSoOs
ofefetth.
old Damsca
seined. It was feared that the track of the Niagara
falls road was damaged and a grist mill destroyed.
from New York for ROttudam, off Highland Light,
A telegram from Boston says the ship Harriet,
Cape ccd, didre§S.