New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-09-27

About the CentFehana-A Piece IF History
consuming them-RamSrs, Corrections,

and en-. ~ eIafa." t-h '-i
grsn our Special Correspondents.
FoxrHrs. MOSnos Old Point Comfort, Sept. a. 1861.
Il 10 ,calcely probable that Gen. Wool meant 20
have the Government infer that the contrabanG ne
groes" were al incumLrance here, and that, conse-
tasutly, be knew bot what 70 do with Them. For
sbe truth Is, il would be difficult TO get along
without them, useful and almost Indispensable
lave they become on the docks, in making
snd working The railroad for the transportation
Of Government stores, and in a variety of avocstions
H. az Ia reported, TIE Government has ordered the
tsoes TO be sent 10 Washington, the Quanerm.ter,
COmuisssry Department and in tact the operations
the ost 90 far labor is concerned viii be seriously
snb. rraised until their places DO filled either 10y
hiIing otter laboreis breaking in enlisted men, OF
Wb' m there Sre 10 spare, if solders are to be
nsde Of them. Indeed, I venture 70 say that Gen.
Wool can better spare from his department an equal
san.ber o. soldiers a tie negroes which, accounting
70 report, tie inference al Washington is, be don't
know what to do wlIh
A, other mistake is made the number Of negroes
ss this pos The number of labore,s does not ri-.
sour hundreds TIE ,Olal nnmter OF souls, including
women, cbiden, infrm and aged men, does not exceed
ffern buI dred, aud tbe number who draw rations is
ccu,ik Fab re. Share Of the women are engaged
m various wsys IN work necessary 70 be done st post
Of this sori, and heir Withdrawal would be An neon
veneme The remainder pay their way M servants at
Camp liamihOD Newport N We, and elsewhere. A
Persistent eDdssyor has been TO cause |, 10 appear
that tie total Bumter Of "contrabsnd" WIS much
greater, IepoTt having recently been circulated thar
ssii ms weie isOued Iegnsry eigb'een hundred. /
zee ttat the last report said u have been made by
sember Of Gen. WoOs staff, is that the number is two
thoui and-to geat by half Ut least fourfold tDo
great ~ regards lsborers. | state Of good authority
thai the iDcnuibracss aged and sick do not
hundred presume that vi examining into the fac.
Of the case, G4n. Wool will conclude thai be has not
angie CON rbsBd" 70 spare, but tia, ON th. c,u
trsry be could give employment to az many more he
bad bem and u deprived VI thOre that be- bs, their
places will have " be made good either fn,m lie rank,
Of enlisted nen or by hiring IaboIer As TO the more
lmI Ortrnt phase Ut the "eOntsaband ouestion the
Ioiiic.I attitude in which the uegn~s stand
there NJ doubt that is WI, king itself ont in
the best posebe way here, and should 10 left undi,
tub d. The ntural graviIaiioh OF The question IL In
the night direction, and souni policy dictates thai il
SHOULD Lot he Dtrf, red wih either BY changing Inc
ocat ,r condhi' Of the negroes The subject has
not thus fsr progressed wholly by chance Ne Will so
pear wheutie history tue contra and question sha
be written. will remaik incidentally thar the iaa
Of treating negroes 'oonIraband Of war" had ia
engin derably aDteri1r the date fixed IN The
popular Hnd, End by qui,e another man than has had
the credit OF originating the cont aband" policy.
And while have q - matter in hand may IA we'll
y tnaI somewhere sbout the 18th OF April last be-
fore Gen. Butler igned tis department and
beiieve Leior~ he made y Majos General and
about the time some half-dozen negroes, that
had escaped from Norfolk, were returned
70 their owners by Commodore Pendergrnst
an officer Of the poet, DOW holding important pos
ition in The Department in interview " itn Comm
Sore PeLdegrast and Col. Dmunick, then Commanding
sfictrs Of the post took the ground that nasuiuch No
Ne Rebels poyed slaves 10 erect battericSand build
iorifcatOns, negroes that fell Into our hands should
Be reid and tneaied rs " cOBtTaband OF war;" aud
turtle DOre tnst far from returning them 70 their
swIen. we would DO justified in ystemat caiIy cap.
IuriDg and employing ibem OH our own works will
remark tina, the view Of the subject YVES taken
u this correspondence 80 THE TIusUSE, where 81 f
" know this ground h,ss taken IN print. These
Iiews the otie enforced III CoCunodOre Z. and Col
D., az some length, and have rea,Vn to know that
boss gentleman wese much impr sset with the pos
lion and srgumsa. Subsequently, when Cen Rai!sr