Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-12-27
FROM WASHINGTON.
.Lohn Bull.

Bul grumOles-as tour-leggcu Outlh oiten
do. He is nsolent, perhaps and the great
noise and hard words alarm somebody.
Some Of the good people on the border may
feel a little uneasy Bull is near neighbor,
and II he gets mad he may make dive at
the division fence. Contrary, Bulls Ameri-
can cousins may get wrathy and jump the
fence to ring him. However, am suspicious
that there may be some doubt on that policy
Just now, our last Legislature having left the
State to conduct its wars purely on the
Quaker pripsiple--witbout soldiery. IL there
is any anxiety in Vermont, there is very little
here. The intelligence from England, with
exaggerations as it passed from mouth to
mouth, made buz for a while in hotels and
gatherings at the street corners, but the
conclusion is that nothing serious will come
Of IT, The House has sent the matter to tho
Committee on Foreign Affairs, without de-
bate, and it is understood that calmness pre-
walls at the West end Of the city--I mean
with the President and Secretary of State.
The Army.
suppose am at liberty to guess that the
Army Of the Potomac will not 60 into winter
quarters, and tha. it will not advance until it
is ready for work. This means that an ad-
vance may be expected but when' General
Mcclellan knows. With the possibility Of
an advance at any time, from either side, the
army is held in readiness to move at short
notice. Such are certainly the orders to
some Of the officers. The movements in
every quarter indicate more and more strong
| ly the probability Of simultaneous attack in
the valley of the Mississippi, in the Gulf Of
Mexico, on the Atlantic coast, and from the
Potomac. Such is the expectation hear.
To-day have report OF several deaths in
the Vermont brigade, though have but one
name-Staples, who had relatives in Mont
pelier Sanders is better, and is at this mo-
ment in my room. The news Of the occu-
pancy of Ship Island, at the mouth Of the
Mississippi, by General Phelps, was gladly
hailed here, though must say the Generals
proclamation is regarded by most people here
as very extraordinary production. As a
speech in Congress it might have escaped
criticism. Most Of its propositions are not
novel there, or to the people Of the North.
and there is in it remarkable resemblance.
in respect to capital and labor, to the Presi-
dents message still, as the proclamation OF
General, addressed to slave-holdng COM
munity, and for the purpose of bringing them
to their allegiance, it provokes both ridicule
ta aoff fv do
that il is high time for the Executive, or the
commader of the army, or of Congress, to
adopt definite policy on this subject, and
require the officers of the army to conform to
it. When Gen. Phelps was proposed for his
present position, it was objected to him by
some of his old army acquaintancos that he
was insane on the slavery question A Major
General took occasion to sound him on that
subject, and reported that he did not think
him exactly insane on that question, but that
he was "a little ahead of the rest of us" This
gentleman, know, has very high opinion
of the military qualifications Of Gen. Phelps,
and it will be much to be regretted if the
proclamation impairs his usefulness in that
IespeCb' ~ 10 IePoiSeu 'nss ~ Niee'Ou Sioes
dissatisfaction among officers Of the army and
navy at Ship Island. hardly know what
will come of it here, but if it serves to bring
about settlement upon some line of action
in respect to slavery, it will be we'll. The
House has referred the slavery question to
the Judiciary Committee In the Senate the
question was debated yesterday by Senators
Lane (of Kansas and Carlisle of Virginia y
and it is good omen that while they started
far apart, apparently, they ended pretty near
ly together. Lane would conduct the war
without reference to slavery-ignoring it and
having nothing to do with it, Carlisle would
be content if, in the legislative prosecution of
the war, slavery should be ended.