Litchfield enquirer., 1861-02-28

~, THE CHARLESTON FLOATING BArTEnY.-Ths Cnarieston correspondent ofthe Providence Jour m nal mus describes this "machine,' which the Charlestonians have had 80 long in preparation: l "The floating battery, about which there ia so muon taik, ana which is so (in)accurately de- scribed in Northern papers, is getting along very slowly, considering the time at which it was to have been finished. It has not the form 1 of wedge, as hrst wrote you, but looks more like dry dock than anything that can liken it to. It is about one hundred feet long by twenty five wide. The frame is of Southern pine tim l Der, one foot in thickness. The bottom is fiat. | Into this timbers are framed, which go up on one side and on the ends pcrpendicularly about fifteen feet, while on the other they have an out ward inclination of fifty degrees and are twenty. five feet long. On the upper end of these are framed short timbers at an opposite inclination of about thirty degrees, which present the sp- pearance of rafters, but only extend out about ten feet, and are intended protection for the | men at the guns. The sides are timbers bolted | together after the manner of . man-of-war, and are covered with four inch plank, and outside of that are to be bolted bars of railroad iron, laid | two deep, while on the inside is a double thick ness of palmetto logs, and on the inside of these is to be placed layer of cotton bales, thus mak- ing solid wall of from five to six feet in thick ness on the attacking side, while on the other side and ends it will not be any stronger than is necessary to resist the effect of the concussion in l with water, which it is supposed, will destroy the effect of the bombs which fall fall into it: consequently, there is large opening left in the deck. It will mount four guns which are now lying side of it, three 32-pounders and one A pounder. They will be mounted all on one side, it being the only one that is protected, the Oth- | CT side and ends having only Q railing around them. In regard to it's efficacy, opinions differ, but amoug tho soldiers it has the opprobious ep- ithet of Slaughter Pen, and each company are fearful that they shall be called upon to man it. From the materials of which it is built, it must be liable to set it fire. Again, it will have to- be moered and kept in exact position, for if it swings around, or its moorings are cut as they might be by chain shot, it would be completely at the mercy of the fort, which might easily sweep the exposed deck by grape or canister shot"
 Es~ The Raleigh, N. c. Standard, an able and conservative democratic paper, after showing that disunion will be followed by civil war, and civil war by abolition, justly and partrioticsly odds: t It is criminal to say there is no hope for the Union. If five hundred of the public men of the two sections could be transforted, or confirmed in dungeons for six months, the Union would be restored and reconstructed during that period, and it would be more glorious and pros porous than the one now threatened with destruc- tion The disunionst per SC is either mad man l or a bad man. He who prefers disunion to un- ion, and who labors to provoke and aggravate the two sections against each other, is an enemy to his race. He who is for discord instead of concord. for war instead of peace, for disunion for disunion's sake, is guilty of a crime more l stupendous than any which has been committed since Cain slew his brother.''
 ANDREW JoHNsoN.-The following brief phil- lippic from Turner's Southern Star, printed at Camden, Ark, is fair specimen of Arkansas writing. Speaking of Andrew Johnson's late speech, that paper says:
 "This scurrilious old puppy, who would net fight yearling toad frog, if he could sec chance to run, has made speech in the United States Senate, in which he advocated coercion in the very bttcrest terms. Hanging is far too good for such degraded old wretch. He should be made to cat Yankee nutmeg graters, until his life was grated over; and then he should be talk | en to Q soap factory and rendered up into soap grease, with which to make soap to wash the | feet of Horace Greeley. Tennessee should hurl such despicable old traitor from her confidence immediately. We are satisfied that God had no hand in concocting such men,
 BGg- The New Orleans Picayuns alludes so the alleged suppression of the returns of tho re cent election in Louisiana, and says that the du- ty of publishing them has been shamefully evaded."
 i BsA- The Mobile Mercury of February l3, | thinks there is something brewing at Pensacola. The Quartermaster General in Mobile has receiv- cd certain acquisitions from the Colonel com manding the Alabama troops, of @ character to excite little interest in knowing what is to come next.
 1 Rzg~ The Washington Stdr has reliable in- formation that there will be armed resistance if necessary, on the part of the Union men, to tho secession of Texas. vigorous effort, it thinks, will be made for reconstruction by the people of all the Gulf States as soon as they arc convinced that the dominant party intend them no harm.
 g@ The New York Tribune tells the follow. ing story about the attempted reinforcement of | Fort Sumpter:
 "When the Star of the West returned from
 its abortive and disgraceful attempt to land troops at Fort Sumter, an officer in the Navy whose name we are not at liberty to give-waited in person upon the Secretary of the Navy, and offered his services to execute the order for the reinforcement of Major Anderson. He first pro- posed to take the Star of the West immediately ba K again and land her troops in spite of the Secessionists; and when this offer was declined, he asked permission to charter steamer ct his own charges and take any troops to Fort Sum- ter that the Department might choose to send. This proposition also was declined no doubt for the simple reason that the Administration, though it desired to make a show of doing something to satisfy the public clamor, had no wish or inten- ton of re-enforcing Major Anderson"
 par The Haverhill, Mass, Gassae of the 22d, says, that the last weeks sales of shoes, at that place, was the largest ever known there 6,000 cases have been sent of in two weeks.
 1 naT The increased number of workmen re, auired at the United States armory in Spring field, to produce 400 additional muskets per month after the present month, have all been en, gagged; and great many men have applied for employment beyond the requirements of Uncle Sam The machinery is 80 perfect, and the ar. engagements of the master armorer SO effective that an increase of ten or fifteen per cent. in the help, will suffice to produce fifty per cent. moro muskets.
 A6- The Boston Jom naFs Washington cor respondent telegraphed on Saturday as follows |" Mir. Lincoln was summoned here by his politi; cal friends, as it was evident yesterday that ma. jority of the States in the Peace Congress woul1 vote for the amended Guthries propositiona many republicans having become convinced th .t their passage alone can keep the border States in the Union.
 "The Pennsylvania delegation met st Mr Covode's room last night and discussed the San. ate tariff bill. Thaddeus Stevens and ofhs-. agreed that, while. they disliked the varshor.s amendment, the duty on tea and coffee anj sh. reduction of the duty on sugar, they would rstbsr vote for them than have the bill lost Or nuhm;t to new chances of its being manglsd in com