The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-05-27

Blair prepared an order to-day disseminating
the transmission OF the United States mail
| In Virginia and other seceeding States and
annniling all contracts for the same.
tennessee Is excepted from the operation of
| not formally seeded
This course OF the Postmaster General ia
uhner tue act In relation to the subject passed
| mt the last session of Congress The cor, tract.
sion.
The mails for the South, from Washington.
Were stopped at the crossing place BIZ the Fed.
SrN troops. and were returned TO the Post or.
flee here.
THE NORTHERN ACCOUNT OF rHR AFFAIR AT sgw-
ELLs POINT.
WAsHISaroS, May 3d. 1oA.-The following
| oneiai report of the action between the Uni
ted States steamer Star and the Sewellis
foint battery, on the 18TH inst, has just been
received:
U. s. SrEAxsE STAR, May 10, 1861.
Flag Officer 5. Ii SrRIsaHAx
Commander of the Home So uadron:
FROM the time repor ted TO you yesterday,
| kept a strict watch on the movements OF
the enemy Ia and about Sewelfs Point bat.
| terry. Several noises We're beard duriag the
night, but not distinct enough for me to trace
! them.
| a. half past five =. NJ, heard distinct
| blows, as II from an axe, securing timber plat
! forms tor gun Carriages, inside OF the embra-
| sures, and Immediately ordered shot to be
/
hoisttd white nag, with some design on it,
and fired 4 shot thatcut the fore spencer guys,
| near the gaf. i Immediately weut to quar-
| ters and returned their fire, which WAS con-
| tinued by them. / expended fifteen round OF
grape, twelve len inch shot, thrtytwo ten
| ihch shell, ten shell for thirty-two FOUNDERS,
ana forty .hve thirty-two pound shot; max
| ing a to tai Jf one hundred and fo0f tetK "a OTIS
! winch think did some execution among the
| rebels. onIy desisted for want of ammuni,
uon' having only i've eight pound charges re
| maiulug for the pivot gun. l regret that want
of ammunition compelled me TO retire, as l
am satisfied could have siIenced the battery
| IN a Short time.
| l cannot too highly praise the courage and
| patriotism OF the officers and men under my
| command. They acted nobly and with great
eooiuess, as the repeated firings as above will
| show. The action contin ued from 80 TO q IS,
| T.. NJ, a duration OF one hour and fifteen
| minutes.
| The battery is masked, thirteen embrasures
having been cree ted beh nj sand bank. The
| rebels had three rliied cannon, ana fired sew
| eral yoileys of NJ mule balls, which struck the
| snip. TIE sup was struck nve times by the
| rIhed cannon shot IN the nu II and upper works.
| The damage can be repaired by ourselves.
| L herewith enclose the report vi the medical
| oiucef OF the ship, by which you will perceive
| that two men were slightly wounded during
| The action.
| / cannot close this communication without
| calling the attention OF The Flag Officer 10 the
valuable services of Lieut.. Daniel l.. Braine,
| who had charge OF our pivot gun, and who,
during the whole action, dis played great cool
! ness and skill in the management.
HENRY EAdLK, Com mander.
! TelearaphIc Dispatches.
| The following are the general Asso ciated
| Press dispatches, published in the Northern
papers of Friday last:
| CaAnBEKsBuRG, PA, May Con Wednes-
! day night Il party OF FirginIans attempted to
| capture a ferry boat on the Potomac, near
| Clear Spring, Nd. Notice was gwen to the
| Union men of Clear Spring, three miles dis
! tant, who turned out to guard the boat
| During the night, the firginians seizad the
| boat, but were fired upon by the guard, and
| when mid way across had TO abandon the
prize and escape In skiif. 1t has been relia-
| Div ascertained that two OF the Virginians
| were shot. The ferry boat was returned
| again TO the Maryland shore.
No reintorcements have reached Williams
| port. All Is quiet here.
BALTIMORE, May 23.--The Union State Con
| vention met in this city to-day.
1t was largely attended by the city dele
| gates, and most of the counties OF the State
| were represented.
The proceedings were marked by spirit OF
| great enthusiasm and harmony of action.
| A series of resolutions were adopted in IA
| yor of an 1ncoudi tional Union, and denounc-
ing secession in the strongest terms, pledgins
| the State 10 sustain the Government in the
! exercise of all it's constitutional powers for Il
| vigorous, active and successful crushing OF
| the rebellion.
! There were only two dissenting votes 70
| these Tesolu lions.
WHEELING, May % The city to-day gave
| 1886 votes against the secession ordinance
and SO for its ratificat ton.
BALTIMORE, May "A few returns ha We
been received from Western Virginia.
A dispatch from Grafton gives the follow.
! ing as the vote of that town Against seces-
sion, 429; for secession, /.
Taylor county will give about 200 majority
against secession.
Harrison county about 1000, and Wood
county about 600 against.
Martin sburg, in Berkeley county, gives
700 majority against secession.
| FRANkPoRT, May 23.-ln the Senate to-day
Mr. Pratt offered Il resolution, which lies
over for one day under the rules, that in order
to advise the next Legislature of the popular
will of the State, vote be taken on the q ues
ton of secession on the LIST Monday OF August
next.
The Legislature will adjourn tomorrow.
The House has concurred in the Senate bill
re organizing the militia and appropriatius
$1,000 900 for the arming of the State
| LorIsvILLE, May 25.-The editors of thu
leading daily newspapers of this city hay.
been summoned by authority to Frankfort u
testify In regard to the arms bought in to Ken
lucky, to matters pertaining TO the knigh L
of the Golden Circle, and 10 the alleged cor
respondenca of Gov. Magofin with the Con
| federate au thor ties.
LoUIsvtLLR, May % Capt James w
Albert arrived here yesterday, on an undsclos
ed mission from the Federal Government
ST. Louis, May 23.-The steamer J. G. Swan
was seized yesterday at Harlow's landing
| thirty miles below this city, and brought /,
! the arsenal by order of Gen. Lyon. This Il
, the steamer that brought the arms from Batou
Rouge which were captured by Gen Lyon a
Camp Jackson. Measures will be taken t.
effect the legal coDfscation of the boat Abou
| 5 600 pounds of lead en- route for the Sou Il
were also seized yesterday at Ironion, en- thu
| Iron Mountain Railroad, by order of Genera
) Lyon. Some resistance was offered by a par t,
of citizens, and several shots were fired OF
DO tn sides, but nobody was hurt. John Dear
and his fellow prisoners were released from
the arsenal on parole yesterday.
| The habeas corpus case of Cant Mcdonald
was resumed o-day before Judge Treat Uni
ted States District Court. The case WAS abb,
argued by District Attorney Jones for the re
spondent, and Davis and Whittlesey for pc
| titiouers.
The ground that the United States Attorne,
took was, that the petition set forth that tn
petitioner had been arrested by military au
: thority without leg Al process. He cited pre-
cedeats that the court had no Jurisdiction i
the alter, the military authority in tim
of war or Of rebellion had the power, an
might arrest persons in array againstthe Fed
erai Government for treason or alleged trea
son.
Mees,s. Wright and Davis replied, in sur
d port of their proposition, that the Unite
e States District Court had power to execui
: this writ, that IL was the greatest protectio
& to freemen In case of legal arrest, and undo
! no circumstances could IL be denied to pria
oner.
e Many authorized weres quoted, on whic
e the Judge took notes, and stated that he woui
. carefully consider the matter and give his de
r cision probably tomorrow. Great in terest
felt in the result.
4 We have a certified copy of bill to arm tn
State, passed at the recent session of the Mis-
souri, Legislature. 1t provides that all tn
money in the Treasury, or which may be r.
!, covered from the proceeds of the special tn
of One-tenIh of one DEF cent. on thu Al0a