New-York daily tribune., 1861-12-30
,,.,rrt,d Letter to o New.YCrk Ssressionist'
.auv.r1NcREAsE OF coNTRABANDs
Osrations Of Our Army in South Carolina
ENGAGEMENT At WHITE POND.

Tts Empire City, Capt. baxter, IRON Deau'o' 0
ne. o. and Port Royal 25th, arrived at this city on
,s,nssv morning Dec. 25 Is miles ncrth Of Port
porsl ,pcks big N. II. Storer, from Bangor for
Port Royal
The Empire City discharged her cargo at Beau
L., and is without doubt the largest vessel ever
std at place. When coming out Of Port Royal, she
cane through the southeas, channel, which has re-
Gently been buoyed out, and found not less than
tiirfy fsi of wafer in any part.
Nothing Of importance had ,rsnspired at Port Royal
.tuc. tie sailing Of the Baltic.
TIE 18th Regiment bad made reconnaissance
,.hou. Is miles from Beaufort on Dec. 90 and cap
SIRE, SIX rebels at place called the Brick Yards.
A, Tybee Island the troops were still engaged In
,.ot;rc iptrspehments, vile Fort Pulaski kept up
oo,;,nsl fire on the island but bid done 10 damage.
TIE Empire City brings q large nail f'om Port
gOysl
oo the 93d. a rebel boa. cane down in Warsaw
Channel 10 recon- liter, Is was supposed, 10 zee If
Al. way was clear for the English stesmer Fingai
trh;eb rsn the blockade a short time since, and is
ysOu loaded with co,tou) to come ont. On being
chased BY one of our gunboats, tley ran theu boat
adore and the crew took TO the woOds. Our people
.ssugh. two of them, who are now on board The
'Wsbash.
The Empire city rings home the following persons
,ttom the stone-feei:
Cart Moth tao officer, end crew ship Archer.
c, o. Brown, oii md crew. ship Potomac
Csts Besrd two ofc'ls, a. d cre~, slip American;
.Csp. N,loy ofi add crew, ship RshmOnd-
Cart VIII, two Cfi, els, ID c'e~ chg d. siEns-
Csst Tsylor two ,fic-rs-, d crew. .hir Harvest.
Cst. Tiitos two oihcers. snd oew. ship hessngton
Capt Swit, two off sno crew ship An.fzoD
.Cspt Wood Two officers. aud crew. siip Valparaiso
CAT Lake, two oihc Ts, sid crew, ship Nn. Lee
fsrf. y
Capt Rice tvo officers aud crew. siiD FoTtnno
CAPT. sissoo, two oh 'e's ans crew sLip T-nedos
CspL Tsbet two oticers. and crew snip Emerald
~Cspt Dayton. fiorr., AID crew, ship Conrisr
Capt Chase, two ofierT.. and crew, shiP America
Capt bailey t~o officers. aud crew. ship NJ Theresa
Firs. ocer wsshopr, and ID officer and .h'p Corsa
'Cs?t Clifford tw, efie aud c,gw. ship Herald
Fret Of5csr Hias % officer al Ore~, ship Leenida'
OF the above vessels, the Harvest and Valparaiso
are store-shiTs al Port Royal; the Corea is MADE
wharf If at tie same place; the Emerald wac lost on
Tybee Bar and the remaining lG slips were sunk Oil
Charleston, 10 blockade the channel There are also
- passengers:
Col Lee suiesl,ud, eth Maine Reriment; Lent I. J.
smih 9th h.i,s Regiment Cap, T. H. Hines sh N.lns
Capt I. W. Wedreworth sh Msinr Regimsns Capt T X.
ksv ..s Nss Ri@s.s sS o,P x O. Newell w. Sai s.1s
ssS Yol Rsssme1s, Lle1t T.. W. Patterson, ASH New
Yogk R.guep1; Lieut. }. r. Csnebey, found csas Penn
syls.n. Lieut. j. h. sesley 4Iib N.wyo,k Re- m mt; j.
Gross Of Adams Co 81 xpIr.s the Rev. c. w h-nnison
he Re, s. Evans H. A. fuef Of Lrook NJ and 10 In the
stes'sse.
Sfon ou Special Correspondent
PoRT ROYAL, Dec. 20 1851.
II is settled that tie hospital is TO be built. Let
Cen from Washington received by the last mail
hforming Capt. saxton that bis orders would not be
':OVptermsnded. 1t cannot, therefore, be many
weeks before some suitable accommodation will be
crowded for al least rorion of the sick requiring
hospital treatment. Nevertheless, as the matter Of
economy is still pressed upop the ate nton Of the de-
pertinent here it is right u repeat that the building
already ordered WAS designed fer only three hundred
patients, and caunoi properly be made to receive
an0se that this estimate was based on the expected
Withdrawal of Gen. Yieles brigade foI the seeond
Expe6 ton, which Las been given up; and u at re-
sltoTosmens have since arrived, and much larger
numberis looked for. Ii 10, therefore, plain, that
E4ness the health Of the troops improves in an unex-
yecteG degree, there wi not be sufficient hosIi;
room even when the new building is finished Tie
sseverity Of the cold at night must coDIinne to liz
crease for some time to come and without adequate
protection, tie ratio Of unnecesfary suffering and
Seath will alto be aus smenied. We are far from
Washington, from the supei vision Of The Sanitary
Commission, from ali Iortupiiy Of personal inquiry
s,Dd examination by tie friebds OF soldiers On the
part of the medical and military officers of the divs-
Jon there il every wish and has teen every effort to
care for the sick and their comfort. But il
should be understood that they have no power which
sy not be controlled by their superiofs at Washng
ton aud if there Is ois oston there 10 requiie the
narrowest economy consi-ient with appearances The
con6ition Of the sick may again be anoet as bad as
# has been aud IL. hope the facts stated in the re-
cent letter devoted this subject have arrested sui-
eient attention to make neglect in future impossible.
The provision Of barracks for tie troops who are TO
y permanently stationed here 10 Of less immediate
arportanes hut in tie opinion Of the surgeons, will
be Indispensable with tie approach of Spring
No important movem,n Mt has yet been made from
Beaufort, though tie large force which now holds
tbe Island Of Port Royal is considered to indicate
that ii is to be the base Of future opeiatioDs. One
reason for the snGden determination 10 occupy the
town and sand nay be added to those already given.
Information was brought by tue negroes that the
crebe's were attemltibg to block the Coossw River
which washes the Island on tue a RIB and west, by
'stsekades which they bad already commenced driv-
Ing. glance at the nmp will chow The position.
lie unimpeded porsession Of the channel was con-
sidered Of too much consequence to be lazArded by
farther delay. Subsequent examination showed that
tie work bad been begun on the fu ther side Of the
stream, aud would soon huve sxteudeo across. The
'aepih Il water and character Of the channel being
Unknown, tber determination considered esseIi-
iiAi After some Intellectual efforts To secHe gun
boat for the purpose, Gen. Sherman finally put a
e-pounder and Is men aboard tie Ma,fower, ID lgh,
ora sice-Nheel. tsrbor steamer, wilh orders to 20
sss bear Pom Royal Ferry was safe, but on 10
account 10 come within Iauge of the guns of