The Local news. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1861-1862, 1861-12-12
GENERAL NEWS.

of the District for buncombe at the North,
instead of a free negro population Of per-
haps Ia, 900, in the current anomalous con-
-dition Of the country the District of Column
bia cannot fail to become at once the harbof
for at least $4,000 negroes, practically freed
as an incident Of the war. With such q
population, without especial restraining
laws, Washingto. will be rendered almost.
| uninhabitable to the white man." ~ RI
The death of Senator Baker, of Oregon
was announced in both houses of the U.S.
Congress, yesterday, and eulogies on him.
delivered by various members. ...f.,s..
! The extent to which the business of Bal.
timere has been injured, has never been full
ly brought to light. As winter approaches,
however, it becomes painfully evident
Business h. uses, whose sales amounted here
| tofore to a million of dollars annually-and
of such there were many-now sell not a
quarter of that amount. One house, whose
sales Of woollen cloths amounted to two
millions of dollars annually, was compelled
to close their establishment. their sales not
being sufficient to pay their rent They
have moved to New York. where they now
do good business in selling army cloths.
An advertisement appears in the Hamil-
ton &c. W. Times calling for one hundred
s'heaithy negroes to enter the service of
the Australian Cotton Association, in New
South Wales and Queensland 5
By an arrival from Havana we learn that
the schooner Break of Day had arrived from
New Orleans. She left on the Goth ultimo,
and came in with the Confederate flag fly
ing. "A cargo of six hundred and twenty
five negroes had been landed upon the south
east coast of the Island of Cuba. Five
vessels had sailed from Havana. and, it is
said, they intend to run the blockade under
English colors. Three Of them had arms
and ammunition, s t...z
Late advices from Richmond bring the
/ information that the young woman who has
already figured in the newspapers under the
name of Nina, has been arrested in Rich
mond as Federal spy. Conclusive evil
dence, it is said, has been obtained t. show
that her frequent visits to Virginia were not,
as she pretended, for the benefit of the
Southern Confederacy.
When it was announced, in the House of
Representatives that Republican caucus
would be held in the evening" Mr.. Wicklife,
OF KY, spoke out SO as to be generally heard,
that if Republican caucusses were to be
called he you'd summon Union one
But half Of the republ cans attended.
Large numbers Of wild fowl have appear
ed on the Ohio river, near Wheeling.
A man in Boston has ia vented a machine
tor making boot il. fifteen minutes.
The New York World says, 1T is idle to
disguise that there has heen some disap-
pointment among the people that he army
on the Potomac has remained 50 completely
stationary through the fall, and, to all ap-
pearance is to continue so for an indefinite
period longer.
Three United States iron plated ships are
now in process of construction-one in New
York by j. Ericsson, another at Philadel.
phia by Merrick & Son, and third at New
Haven by Bushnell & Co. The cost of these
vessels will be $l,290,75O.
The Medical Bureau at Washington. with
Surgeon-General Finlay at its head, is
again in trouble, and have appealed to Gen.
Mcclellan in reference to some arranoe-
ments about small pox patients.
1t is said that the newspaper statements
relative to the active movements of troops
in Canada, and the expected reinforcements
from England, are incorrect.
The war between the ultra wing of the
Republican party, and the friends of a more
conservative policy, continues at the North
and may give rise to two antagonistic 90.
litical parties there.
The Confederate privateer Sumter, at the
last dates, was c.uizing in the West India
seas.