New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-11-14

steamer, carrying away the upper half OF her amer
chimney, or smoke-staCk, and dong other bit not
serious damage.
/ BY what miracle OF seamanship 10th vessels were
finally extrica,ed cannot pretend to tell, Certain
IL il. hat, miracle or no miracle, the thing was &C
eomplstei, and the shils came rejoicing on their
way. Our offer 10 take The Illinois in tow was in
dizna1ily rejected il being rather point Of honor
viii frs.-elsss steamer never 70 submit to the 10.
dignity OF being towed while she has got vitality
enough 10 aoat How Ear tbs feeling would carry
the CAPTAINS I'm sure can't say, though don't be-
Eeye a captain Of ordinary humanity would let
thousand passengers sink more than "fnll fathom
five" before he would accept an offer Of help from
rival CAPTAIN. II lie hadn't taken up their tlchets
dontthins he'd let them sink half as far II be hadni
collected their passage-uoney, / am positive he
wouldn't, even let them get their feet wet
/ Be that a. it may We left our seli-conhient any
and steamed away for proper place IN the heei'
where we were joined, after the lapse OF several ne
cessary Iours by the Illinois, and her fast friend the
Golden Eagle, both all right, AMI no whit the worse
for their nights adventure.
/ Though the Illinois had been delayed until she
herself was IS miles behind the feet the rest Of the
vessels had not sackened in any degree their onward
course, but they were going GLOW that it was
very easy matter for the tagging vessels, by crack
ing on al steam, 20 come up with the others. Az
night the feet was not widely scattered from the
original order Of sailing, and as the wind had died
away, and the waves had been growing " small by
degrees and beautifully lees" all things looked
especially prosperous.
The motion Of the vessel had so far quoted tia!
% the early evening scores Of Pale-faced soldiers
eept from their sleepingF aces to the cool decks to
set breath Of the delicious air, sweeter than all
the perfumes Of Arabia to the nauseated wretches
who bad Tor hours been cooped up in the lower
depths, which, looked unutterably filthy, and as
Hamlet saws Of poor Yoricks skull, Smelt go
Pahl" And at drum-beat they disappeared again,
like Discontinued specters.
The observation showed Ms 70 be at noon to-day in
latitude "a 80 longitude Is IS. Distance made in
the last q hours 80 miles,
Whey ard slow they stumble that run tAs,.7
FRIDAY, Nov. /, 1861.
The fourth day at sea and no land made yet.
That's the puzzling thing. Aloat, and steaming
fliousy, long enough TO have run to Havana and
half way back again, and still no glimpse Of har-
Dor, and 10 sign Of turning toward the land. What
does it all meant To be sure, though the race is
long, the pace is not great we are evidently throw
ing away our time running so slowly. This chance
word opens q door Of speculation aud conjecture,
through which we pass, nor pause in our specializing
AID conjecurng, until, in own opinion at least
we have speoulated and conjectured out key and a
clue to the mystery. 1t takes the form of problem
somewhat thus
Given a Rebel General Given to that Rebel
General, simple sum in arithmetic, the simplest
sort Of simple multiplication and the shortest kind of
short division, TO work out, and let the sum run thus
II feet of steamships run ten miles hour, at
the end Of five days will they have 400 miies or
1,2OOl
Why, the simplest Rebel General Of them all viii
answer ZOO and the chances are ten to one he viii
act on biz own solution.
If we, then, that have command OF the said fleet
70 reard our pace az in the given time to but the
900 miles, instead Of the POO not the chances
greatly IN our favor that while suddenly descend
on tho place 100 miles away, the enemy will have
been making hinge PREPARATIONS for us 500 miles
further down, and viii be there with open arms,
waiting 70 tender US the Inequalities Of this cheerful
Southern land The chances certainly run thus
but st it may happen that your enemy is not so big
a fool sc you take him for, and you may find BIN
waiting at either spot.
True, true, that trick If also on tie cards and IN I
that case we must ouly lead heaviest and hottest
trumps, and woe to him who fails to follow suit.
And that's the way we, the Spectators and
conjecturers Of tie feet have explained the mystery
Of our slow progressby the length Of our absence,
both the ordinary speed Of our vessels and the time
Of our departure being known to the enemy to .
uslesd him into believing intended attack is 10
be made much lower down the coast than il really I
the intention Of our leaders SO, that little affair
being settled, it is time to proceed with the journal
Friday Nov. Aforesaid. !
nos, noticeable thing this morning is the glori-
Gus showing forth Of a brilliant rainbow which, as
there is neither rain nor, at the moment, sun, seems
10 US 10 put 10 its appearance without sufficient
cause or provocation. The officers and soldiers OF
the regiment behold il nteresledyi your correspond
ent gazes at it admirngIy; the officers of the ship
and the sailors look at il onesidedly and not few
of them swear al it audibly. Others repeat this
cOuple.;
a. rainbow In III. morning,
sGioss take warning"
hear this but am not sailor, and why should
[ take warningl won't do it, go stroll about the
sup IooAuB az people anu oVs1in@teIy IeIuSnS W
take any sort Of warning until few words from
the Let officer tell NE we are to have storm. lie
also warns me that cit II be an ugly one that
won't stop till it has had It's blow out" Which
information fts me admirably to listen with eompo-
sure to the music Of the Band.
1t being lovely day, the band are once more on
deck, each man with his huge brass instrument If
he was tied 70 t, and could not get away. The pale
faced soldiers too swarm out and, it being after