The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-09-19
news and Other Items.

The ship Phantom which left San Fran
cisco May 18th, was lost on the 18th of
July, near Hong Kong, by running on
reef. She had $4,000 in treasure on board.
$4,000 of which was insured in eastern
companies. A portion of the crew had ar
rived at Hong Kong in small boats. One
boat, containing the Captain and treasure,
had not been heard from at latest dates.
The following is the letter of Colonel
Brodhead, of the Michigan Regiment ad.
dressed to his brother in Washington, the
present Comptroller of the Treasury, to
which reference is made in General Nc.
DOwell's letter to the President
DEAR BROTHER AND SISTER, am passing
now from earth. but send you love from nv
dying couch. For all your love and kindness
may you be rewarded. have fought manful.
ly, and now die fearlessly. am one of the
victims of Pope's imbecility andl Mellow.
ellis treason. Tell the President would he
save the country, he must not give our halow-
ed flag into such hands. But the old flag will
triumph yet. The soldiers will regd it's folds,
now polluted by imbecility and treason. John,
you owe duty to your country. Write +!
.
lnfamy, and force them from places where
they can send brave men to assured destruc.
ton. bad hoped to have lived longer but |
die amid the ring and clangor of battle as |
could wish. Farewell To you and the noble
officers of my regiment coniide wife and chill.
dren. THORNTON.
The above was written upon the blank
leaf Of an old letter, and blood stained.
Colonel Brodhead died within half an hour
after he had scrawIed it off.
-Commodore Wilkes has been assigned
new and very important field of duty. He
is to command flying squadron of about
dozen vessels in the West Indian waters,
and will proceed with all dispatch to the
new station. The illegal introduction of
foreign goods into the ports of the Southern
coast, under cover of English and French
colors and fraudulent registers, has gone on
quite long enough. Commodore Wilkes
flagship will be the Wachusetts, one of th
swiitest gunb0ats. We may look for stir.
ring news from the Antilles group before
many weeks.
The following letter from Thomas II.
Benton to John NJ. Clayton, of Delaware,
has just been published
JrLY d. lS55.-I hope you saw the CHAPTER
on Mr.. Calhoun's admission of support of the
Missouri compromise. 1t is heavy blow up.
on his followers, who are not political party.
but Sect following their prophet and propa-
eating his doctrines, and to whom proof of
faibilty is stubing block.
Believe me, the feeling for disunion is be-
coming current in the slave States, and almost
unanimous III some OF them, and letter like
yours would do good in staying it. The sla-
very question is cover for the real motives.
which are, with politicians. ambition; with the
masses belief that the Union works to the
disadvantage of the South; and that they will
do better separated. 1t is upon this feeling
that the nullifers work, and mask their designs
with the dangers of slavery, and are making
great progress.
Yours truly
THOMAS Fl. BENTON.
A letter from the Ship Island CORES
pondent of The Philadelphia Press, dated
Aug. 80, says:
1t is whispered that {, 900 troops, under Brig
Gen. Arnold, will attack Mobile before MANY
days have elapsed. Doubtless the Marines
with Admiral Farragut's squadron will have
an opportunity to participate in the exharat.
ing sport. 1t would only be an act of charity
to the poor fellows, who have been cooped up
on shp-board so many months. As to whether
the attack will prove successful cannot say.
but rightly managed, l firmly believe it will,
and my belief is shared by many of my COM
rades.
LORD BRoUGHAM, 10 speech at Wig
ton, Cumberland, referred as follows to the
question of mediation
! have heard people of late unwisely re.
commencing that the civil war should be put
a stop to by our taking part, so far as to re-
cognze one of the contending parties. think
that in recognizing the South in that odious
and horrible quarrel would only make the
thing worse and continue it, instead of putting
a stop to it, Hear, hear.1 Absolute neutral
ity, non.interVentlOn, in every sense of the
comfort and peace, but it is the best possible
contribution that we can make to putting a
stop to that odious quarrel.
Fred. Douglass has written to Senator
Pomeroy in behalf of his son, who wishes
to join the proposed negro colony whenever
it moves. Douglass is opposed to the
scheme, and says to see my children hap
ply settled in the land of their birth, has
been the hope and ambition of my manhood.
But events stronger than any power that l
could oppose to them have convinced my
son that the chances here are all against
him ]" Perhaps Fred. Douglass is the best
specimen of intelligent manhood ever pro-
duced by the negro race.
Some gushing person who desired to
pay Col. Todd, of Dacotah, a poetical COM
pliment, gets off the following in the Sioux
City Register:
Gladly do our spirits move,
Ever towards the friends we love,
Nor while we walk the sod,
Fer can we forget our Todd!
Viewed in one light the above is very
praiseworthy sentiment-in another, it be-
trays very slavish devotion to "copper
distilled" At any rate it's bad declara-
tion to make publicly, that one can never
forget his "little tod" We've got lots of
such people in these woods.