The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-02-21

the Battery and the foot of Roosevelt street, wa:
with the exception of but one vessel, entirely de
void OF any decoration or oTHamentaton of an
| kind. On some few of the other vessels partia
! holiday had been given to the employees, but ol
| the docks at which the Southern shipping wa
! lying, and upon the vessels themselves the usua
| avOcations of the men were carried on as though
! the President elect a nonentity. A number o
these vessels was congregated in the neighborhoot
! OF Roosevelt street ferry, and their undecoratet
| forest of masts formed the only break in the con
tinuous panoramic display of bunting which RAJ
the entire leagth of the river, from the Battery t.
the upper limits OF the city. The schooner Ann 4
Susan, belonging to the Palmetto line of Charles
ton ). G., packets, lying in this neighborhood
totally undecorated; number of bales of cottor
were piled upon the deck, recently discharged from
her, weighing scales near by, and the hands en-
gagged in loading her for the next voyage Further
down, the crew of the VIM. NJ. Smith for Charleston
winch was likewise undecOrated were caulking, re.
pairing and otherwise getting the vessel in readi-
ness Tor voyage. The Rebecca, Flying Cloud and
5. 1. Baker, further down the river presented the
same busy scenes of discharging and loading, with
their rigging likewise devoid of any decoration-
South of Fulton ferry was the ship IL. A. Stephen
son, destined for New Orleans. No decoration of any
kind was to be seen about her. nor upon the Mobile
packet Messenger near bv. Several vessels destined
tor Texas were lying at the docks little farther
down These were the Cavallo, Horace, Norumbe-
ga, Sidney Price and Arlington, all undecOrated.
The Virginia, for Savannah, was also undecsrated,
as were the vessels for Virginia, lying near Wall
street ferry, viz The Richmond Crenshaw and
Danville. Continuing down to piers and 10, the
same absence Of decoration was visible on all the
Southern shipping.
The only exception to all this, as far as ascer-
tained, was the ship Pacific, for New Orleans,
which was lying at her dock south of the Fulton
terry slip, bearing the American flag floating at
her stern.
The display By the shipping in port seemed al
most entirely confined to those lying at the DOCKS
those moving about the harbor aud bay being
for the most part, without any attempt at deco
ration.
LINCOLN STORIES.
One of the New York reporters tells the follow
ing of Lincoln's story telling powers:
When first in Congress he adopted the hifalutin
style. but has since changed this for that Spartan
simplicity of manner and diction which all great
orators have preferred. OF late, also he tells fewer
stories than usual in conversation. As a specimen
OF what his stories are-and for them he has great
popular reputation-he said, one day, 81 once
knew a good, sound churchman, whom we'll call
Brown, who was on committee to erect bridge
over a very dangerous and rapid river. Architect
alter architect failed, and at last Brown said he
had friend named Jones who had built several
bridges and could build this. Lets have him in, )
said the committee. In came Jones. Gan you
FIid this bridge sir?' yes replied Jones; q
could build bridge to the internal regions if
necessary The sober committee was horrifed
but when Jones retired, Brown thought it but fair
to defend bis friend. Il know Jones SO well, said he
and he is so honest man and SO good an architect
that, If be states sobery and positively that he can
build bridge to Hades why, Il believet. But have
my doubts about the abutment on the Internal side -
You should Lincoln's facial contortions at this
point $780," Lincoln added, 'fwhen politicians
said they could harmonze the Northern and South
ern wings of Democracy, why, believed them
But had my doubts about the abutment on the
Southern side" The story which Lincoln began
to t. II in Indiana the other day, but which was
broken off by the departure of the tran is equally
dprOpO8-"Ihere was a man who was to be nOmi-
mated at political convention, and hired horse
OF livery keeper to journey there. The horse
was so confoundedy slow, however''-[ Here the
train moved off, amid great laughter, but Lincoln
concluded the story at the next station -'that the
man arrived too late, and found his opponent nomi
mated and the convention adjourned When be ar
rived home he said to the stableman, 'Ths is a fine
animal of yours-a fine animal DO you think
soY Certainly, but never sell him to an underta-
kerr Undertaken! why not" Because if the
horse were htched to hearse, resurrection day
wOnd come before he reached the cemetery.' SO,
concluded the President, ii my journey goes on at
this slow rate it will be resurrection day before
reach the Capital" Such are the stories with which
Mr.. Lincoln delights his friends when in the mood,
but of late the mood comes seldom.
THE NEW YORK uERCHANTS PRoPosITIoN
The New ork merchants who recently visited
Washington for the purpose of saving the Union,
have published report, in which they set forth
that while there they saw Senator Seward, who
spoke hopefully, aud Senator King, who displayed
"a marked and cOnsiderate courtesy, and frank
ness that lett no to doubt his adherence to
opinions adopted many years ago, and consistently
held ever since" The following recommendations
appear to embrace the entire result of the mission
and indicate that the committee have given over
the business Of saving the Union to the news
papers,
"UndeT these circumstances, your committee can
only suggest that all possible means be used to neu
tralize the efforts OF men at the North, who are
Cd h,,x- IL
Union as those which govern the leaders of seces-
sion; of men who encourage resistance to every
reasonable concession that conflicts With party
doomas and party ends
"Many Representatives in Congress, patriotic
and good men, need but to know the public sent-
ment of the North, in order to be governed by it.
Failing to acquire it through other channels, they
look to the papers published North, for guidance
and direction. If immediate and good results are
to be obtained, your committee would recommend
that it be exerted through these organs, wherever
established" IN Y. Post.
THE MASSACHUSETTS PERSONAL LIBERTY BILL
8osTON, Feb. l9.-The Legislative Committee on
the personal liberty bill reported declaratory act
corpus to be made returnable to the Supreme Ju-
dicial Court, or the judges thereof.
1t further modifies those sections of the old bill
which refer to the pleading and evidence on trial
upon the writ, making the rules the same as those
OF the common law. 1t also provides that no fugi-
tive shall be taken from the United States Marshal
who holds him by legal process, except to test the
validity of the action of the Federal Court.
Another section provides that if the claimant gets
the wrong person in custody, he shall not be pun
iShed, unless it is done with unlawful intent.
The last section provides that the militia NAV be
called to enforce the laws of the State, but not to
assist in the return of the fugitive.
CAN FORT PICKENs BE TAKEN?
Rev. Lane Posey writes letter to the Mobile
Adrertiser in which he disapproves of the grant
ing of the armistice by the State authorities, and
defends Gen. Chase from the attacks made upon
him. On the possibility of now taking the fortress
he says:
But conceding that it was or is strong and ter
rble fortress, pray let them tell US when it will be
less strong and terrible than now. Shall we sit
down before its walls and wait for some horn from
Jericho to blow them down with its blast? If the
argument is good for the present. it is good for all
coming time. But Fort Pckens was not, at the
time, either strong or terrible. 1t requires two
things to make strong fortress. First, the de-
fences made by nature and art; and second, gar
rison sufficient to make them available. Gibraltar
is rather a strong fortress, and yet Gibraltar has
twice been captured from the force OF numbers
from an insufficient garrison. The Castle of San
Juan de Uao is rather strong fortress, but it has
twice changed flags for the same reason. | might
give other illustrations, but these are sufficient to
demonstrate that, without sufficient garrison no
fortress is very strong or terrible. This was pre-
cisely the weakness of Fort Pickens. Its garrison
was less than 100 1t is fort of vast area and
armament. Its proper garrison is 1000. 1t mounts
upwards of 200 guns-I believe about 2iO. To ex-
press the ieea by seeming paradox, its strength
was its weaknesS-nr its weakness consisted in its
strength In short, it was too large in area to be
defended by 100 men. It's area is 900 yards Its
garrison, if deployed on its walls, would make only
one man to every 80 feet Would not this be hope
full line of battle to back an avalanche of 500
brave, fierce men, launched upon them with the
fury ofdevis? Assailing a dozen or fifteen points
simultaneously, how could garrison of 100, divi-
ded into squads of half a dozen, prevent the en-
trance of the assaiants? There is another consid-
Grafton To load, fire and trim a cannon requires at
least ten men and boy. That is the number as
signed to each gun on war vessel, where the guns
are most manageable. No less than twelve men
can efficiently man the guns on Fort Pickens. The
garrison, then, could man only eight guns if all
were put to the same work. All the arterists
are exposed in appearing at the guns, and single
discharge from the assailants would silence half
the guns. But than this for the garrison.
The fort was in the poorest condition for defence.
Sand had nearly filled up the ditch which protects
the land side from assault. On the water side
there was no ditch and sand hills twenty feet nigh
had formed near the fort, which made the case
mate guns on that side useless that all of them
were dismounted and the classmates filled up. On
the land side high bluff extending along the
beach would have protected the assailants until
within hundred yards of the fort These facts
will show how easily it might have been taken.
But conceding that it could not easily have been
taken by force Of fifteen to one and that it would
cost great sacrifice of life, and probably erd in
failure, the question remains, when will it become
weaker, and when will its capture become easier
or cheaper? Will it be after feet of 300 guns
have come to its assistance, and when its garrison
shall be increased to 500 or 1000? Was it wise or