Daily national Democrat., 1861-10-06
War Correspondence of the New York
Mercury.

There is much sensation in nautical circles
my boys, Oh account of the immoral behavior
of southern privateers | saw reliable per-
son last night, who had been one of the deck
officers Of a ferry boat which was recently
( captured by one of the pirates, and lie as
sures me that the scenes he witnessed, were
enough to make man take a chew of to-
haccu to keep from fuiulng. The leader OF
/ the pirates had formerly been a member OF
/ the Young Mru's Christian Association in
/ New York, and It's soon as he mounted the
deck OF tt. ferry boat he began to take up a
/ collection ancng the passengers. My friend
was opposed to foreign missions, and refused
| to give anything, whereupon the pirate had
him put into an open row boat, without en-
gue or sails, and ordered him, in n terrible
voice, not to upset the boat if he did not wish
to get wet. After passing several minutes
without a mouthful to eat or an umbrella tc
cover his head. this reliable person reached
the shore, and it was then half an hour be-
fore he returned to his distracted family
But, thanks to human ingenuity, these sick
ening scenes will soon be ended for dis
/ tinguished foreign mechanic bora in Con,
necticut, has Invented an ironlchd battery
/ tor capturing privateers without firing a sin
| gle gun. Gesterday he exhibited small
model of it at n Cabinet meetng. ard eX
| planned it thus:
You will perceive" said he to the Presi-
dent that the machine itself will only bt
four times the size of the Great Eastern, ant
need not cost over few millions of dollars
| have only got to discover one thing before
| can make it perfect. You will observe that
it has "A steam engine on board. This engine
works a pair of immense clamps, which are
lat lo
end of very lengthy horizontal spar Upon
approaching the pirate, the captain orders
| the engineer to put on steam. Instantly the
| clamps descend from the end of the spar and
! clutch the privateer athwartslips Then the
engine e reversed, the priyateer is lifted
bodily out of the water, the spar swing,
around over the deck, and tie pirate ship i,
let down the hold 10y the run. Then shut
your hatches and you have the pirates safe
and sound"
The Presidents gothic features lighted up
beautifully at the word Of the great inven-
tor; but in a moment they assumed an cx-
preston Of doubt, and he said:
But how are you going to manage if the
privateer fires upon you while ycu are doing
| this :"
my dear sir" replied the inventor, "l
told you had only one thing to discover
before could make this machine perfect
and that'sit
So you see, my boy, there's prospect o
our doing something on the ocean next cen
tury, and there's only one thing in the way
of our taking in pirates hy the cargo.
Last evening new brigadier general, ageC
ninety four years, made a speech to Rcgi
ment Five, Mackercl Brigade, and th,E
furnished each man with a lead-pcncl. Ilt
said that, as the Government was disappont.
ed about receiving some provisions it had or
dered for the troops, those pencils were in
tended to enable them to draw their ration
as usual. | got very big pencil. my boy
and have lived on a sheet of paper eve
since. Yours, positively.
ORPHEus G.. KERR.