The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-05-20

In the absence Of definite In formation on the
subject, we presume that the latter observa-
ton implies probable purpose, On the part
Of the British Government, 10 treat the
Sou thern Confederacy as beliigerent Power.
competent to grant letters Of marque We
are reminded by a Sou thern contefnnorarv
the Oxford Miss )Intelligencer. that in our
ReyoIu tionary war the Con tinen tai Congress
granted letters OF marque, which were held to
be perfectly valid. two years before we were
recognized by any foreign Power and under
which our priyateers captured during the
frat year, five hundred and thirty British yes.
seIs, valued, with their cargoes, we presume,
at five millions of dollars. The British Gov.
ernment will not treat the Southern priva-
teers rs pirates, and will thus far recognize the
com potency of the Confederate States TO issue
letters OF marque. This appears to be the
purport OF Lord John Russell's In TINA ton, SO
far as we can infer II from the imperfect re-
port We have OF his yiews, which, IL Is to be
remembered, are held In some respects, sub
jet to revision and modification, in accord
ance with the opinion which the law officer of
the British Government is preparing for the
advice and direction of the Ministry.
nsIDB yIgw OF 4 sBssrAs CAMP.
The following authentic letter. says the
New York News was written Ly a private in
the New York Sixty ninth Regiment at
Georgetown. 10 his wife. detailing the priva-
tons AMI III treatment to which he and his
comrades are subjec ted, and which, it would
seem, they are prevented from making gene
rally known to the public, by system Of es-
pionags over their letters sent home
9EoE6ErowE HEIdHTs COLLEGE,
WAsHIs0ToS. ID. o., May 8. 1861.
SIXTY NIsTH RRGIAgsr
DEAR WIPE l received your very kind and
aifeC tiOpate letter, and am glad TO ind you and
tue child are well, which is more than can
toll you | am. My dear wife, We are In Il most
wrstched state with hunger and weakness,
and bordering on a stats of starvation. Our
ia tons are sinking pork and biscuit once
day, which we refused 10 eat, and which the
dogs would not come near. Two OF our OH
GERS were taken aud confined in the gnard
house from the afternoon until twelve o clock
next day, for reporting to the Colonel and
QuatrerInaster that the meat stunk, aud was
| not 1T for dogs, and that the men were not
| able IA come 10 drill with hunger and weak
ness One of those officers was Captain
| McIver. The Colonel called court mar
! tial on the other, who was Lieutenant
| and turned him out OF the regiment and
| kept his sword sash and belt, which be-
| longed to himself. A great number of our
! men would not swear in TO the Government
| in consequence OF their treatmen; :, ard sig
| teen in Number Uere stripped stark n0@ed on
| the square before the regiment, and ali the
| Government clothes taken from them. IA
| Their Mooney (the Chaplain) irterceded as
| mush as possible for them hui 70 D use. He
was no, abe even to 90 RInething TO
eat along the road, or x pass. ne
| Colonel said the trei 90 GOOD ior
the id Secessionist 1itoH, Capt.
mnghaIn are very kind~ Use we fetuf II
our most sincere thanks and hall never Tor
| get their blindness. They have saved our lives
! many time by giving us money to bay pro-
| yisions and giving us Il kind word, which we
! could not get from any of the rest OF the Oil
GERS but if we complained we were SICK oi
hungry, we were locked up In the guard
| house That was our redress We were lying
| on the floor like hounds in Il kennel in the DiG
Country, and then were told it was too good
| for
| Over three hundred men have left the resi-
nent for the N uskets are all mere ana noht
To claim them, go that's the way we lind ou
the number that's gone. There Is but Few
tue Old members here.
| "soCrBERy PLANS"
From the Washington correspondence Of tn
Journal of Commerce, the New York publ
learns that
The Harpar's Ferry troops will not, o
| course commence their movement toward
this city until the columns from Richmond
Winchester, Culpeper, &c, shall also com
mence their march. That this city IL TO be al
tackled in the rear as well as in front, hav
no doubt. The Harper's Ferry troops VIII n
doubt be assigned for this duty, aud they ma
u attempt 10 cut of the Federal force at the he
lay House.
, The Southern States have been preparin
for war during the last two years and hav
organized and trained large bodies OF men, an
obtained large quantities OF cannon ana Il
other enginery OF war. They are now read
/, Capital, their success in which they do ne
! | doubt. The Administration have had infol
\ | nation enough on this subject, lately, to COZ
a | vince them that tho city IS not secure, IN
| attack will be IN ade, in all probability, Defol
the first OF July. Preparations 10 meet II
| do not seem To me to be adeq uate. New or
| papers declare, every now ana then, IN;
=. | Washington is now impregnabla. How ca
! that be when there is not Il fort or en- trench
lnent within twenty miles of ltY There h;
y not yet been used Il spade or shovel anyWhel
e in the neghborhood OF tho city Tor milltaI
= | defence.
= NO PROSPECT OF PEACE.
e "Ion" writes from Washington to the Bs
n timore Sun, May II
o Some few of the Union journals CONNER
s 10 the attention OF the coming Congress u
4 interests of peace, and this suggestion
If promptly denounced as "next door TO ire
It SON" There is not, however, the least fou
n | dation for any fear that the interests of pea
h will find single advocate among the repr
8 | sentatiyes from the Northern States, wi
| the exception possibly of California. III
h | State remote from the scene OF civil strll
st and having no enmity to either OF the parti
- engaged in it, may interpose at least sor
IN measures for Cancellation
D. But the war spirit which has arisen In
" the Northern States this side of the Roc
g Mountains will prevail unchecked, in } I'll
H. and Congress will act under its influence
r leading Administration paper says that %
III gress, meeting on the 4th of July, ought to It
* | inmate the session on the l3th-that tn
H. are not called to nter into general iegisla =
IL but to supply the omissions In their iegisl
-, ton of the last session. Money, men Il
e. laws, for the punishment Of treason, are
ge be called for.
ne ARkEsr OF BBARER OF DISPATCHES.
r,o The New York Express, of Thursd
evening, says:
ut Mr. Gustavus Holland, q passenger
le board the steamship Arago, which arriy
er | here On Tuesday, was arrested by the tede!
is W.in Hay 10 nfpl
de charge of being bearer of dispatches TO
t. Southern Confs6exAcy. The papers OF
as Holland were examined and resulted in
Is. rslease. The reasons for this are two-fold
gu 10 inn licate Mr.. Holland personally; secoi
ey that the dispatches We're of a semi-offic
'r. character only, and were so discouragtng
on the Montgomery Government that their
ceipt was not likely to afford much laid
H. comfort TO the enemy
:" HON. wA. saIrH.
,ei The following dispatch May l6) from Wa
r.. ington TO the New York Evening Post,
AS give for what it is worth:
he Extra Billy" Smith, of Virginia, has
'de arrived here He visited the War Depa I tn
N. this morning on private buslne IS lie Is
oi | low spirits and Gepiores the cohdilich ci
iio country. Some persons say tnat Ia com
spy but this story is not generally belle,
,eo Washington is becoming 100 not place
HIS spies. MIR. Smith declares that Virginia
aroused and means to fight, but the sigh
the great array OF Federal troops esiaei
Dos Expresses him.
STEAM FROM EUROPE TO TIE CorToN STA
nus The London Times. of the Sd, contains Il e
his from MIR. Sahel, relative TO the Questo
of steam comm unication between Liverpool
AT the cotton States of America, in which
SAYS:
,os the British and American Southern Ste