, 1862-01-28

AGAINST the skies, FOR Us far back as 17!G Jan
uary was known to be r:liuy month il this
latitude, In looking over tle " Maryland and
Virginia Almanac for that gear yesterday,
I fund the weather predictions for the middle
Of January quite accurately fulfilled, and so
far as the testimony Of living Witnesses can ;
assure Us, the seventy Jlnuarys that have ir-
tcrvencd hare not been greatly different
from this. But let it not be inferred that the
rebcls arc TO escape punishment because VIC
happen to be in the mira. If Burnside pos
eesscs himself Of the railroad at Goldsboro,
and Generals Shoepf and Thomas follow Up
their splendid victory By taking the other
railroad at Knoxville, or by aanhing Buckner
and driving him back upon Nashville, the ret
el nest ut Manassas is broken up. Dvaurc-
or backward to save lis communications with
the South, frum which he draws both supplies
and reserves, is only 4 question Of time. 1t
remains to he seen whether these conditions
precedent arc complied witl-wi.e1her Burn
side and Buell. are equal to the tasks assigned
them. The chances are row clearly in orr f:,-
yor. The victory at Somerset las entirely
changed the aspect Of affairs, for the rebel ar
my in eastern Kentucky, Is as etfcetualty de-
stroyed as though each man Of then, was shot
through the head. Looking at thu posture Of
affairs in Kentucky The Richmond papers more
than Il week ago were greatly alarmed, proph-
esy1bg the most la1nent:ble consequences if i
reverse should bt met there, and urIing their
government to scnd all their available troops
thi1her ard even to draw Oh Manassas for that
purpose.
Tile promptness, system and decision With
which Secretary Stanton has commenced Ills
duties, give high encouragement to the
friends Of the Union here, and the secession
lists both here and elsewhere are much lscon-
ccrted by the evidence that the war hencefort;,
is not to be eagcd in q friendly and frater~
| land May, Kentucky Wadsworsh, and some
| hundreds Of secession clerks. aa4y officers,
| messengers and other fu,:cflon4Eacs drlwing
| their pay from the Federal treasury, are great
| " alaz-,se.1.. Tn1 Secrrtary's interview with
! III Wade's Investigating Committee WAS
| satisfactory on both sides, and the suggestion
| that 10 more Hillary appointments Should
| be confirmed or considered until the first Of
| March, WIS exactly III accordance with tho
| views Of Il majority Of the Senate. The new
| s. crctary also had an interview with the Van
! Wsek Committee yesterday, during wlait:h lie
said that lie ee1d soo't get tie a-tity If The Rfu-
/ mac 1at Of its thffeHeInr7stS o. EHv'. Go,I 5t~
sen 'ray. The reform which Gen. Mcclellan
| is thought to lave established, requiring o;Ii-
J ccrs to remain in their c:,np5 anl not sDclul
! their time carolssin@ around u=Ein5ton, l!,s
| been more honorad in the breach tluu in the
/ observance since have been a witness. Vi
+! every fur mru sren On Penn: :ltania ayCntta,
or IN Wizards, Browns or Til! National, sacr
C"h.ress a=Etmb:cd, two were sure 10 bu uu-
! ttr shoulder straps. The order for keeping.
t!.rse officers in their camps may be Il good
Gle o. bad one. II good, it ought to be en-
| f',rtt; II bad, ii ought Hut to have been
made. Secretary Stanton has reileH-:d it, AMI
intends to try tile experiment Vi enforcing it,
Lit lin! also ferret out aud hang the traitors,
| in fIc'arny and out of II, vino are coia,nuni.
eatirg our plans aud coun'ersi.ns to the enemy
Ourselves, ind then s,rikc from ths
:r7s:y rt,ll every scalip WHO tells what lie will
or Won't do if Congress adopts particular
Iosicy-and lie will ii:tve Jsynj. to achieve Wit.
torits. These lirst steps to success have nevr1
vi heen I;iken. Rebel spies haze so abounti-
I'd in ;lnt. around the War Olive that hardly
ii; l;t1suns could b. found in whom a 1ni:itl-
r. secret could be collectively conlided and
there Is hardly & camp, with IL West Pointer in
hcs1l =own by officers vauntiuy their h,tres
and defiance uf Legislative power. and I'LL With
IMMUNITY. These and kindred abuses have
ttcH The result Of a gra1!d error into which
the President iclI When The war first broke ou
| -ti.;st Of putting al1 his OWL power into til.
hands Of military Tycoon, whether it h:l,
| pcli:d 10 be Gt1,. Scott or Gen. MeCIe1lAr, asl.
constituting limScifa spectator, llitfuFin. onI1
from the twenty millions OF his counsrymeI
| by taking !: front box to sec the show. Cam
eron WAS too busy with Ills contracts to pay
auy attel,1ion to The war, and therefore III,
Tycoon for the time being had the manage
| ment Of all the forces from Fort Picl1ens /.
| Fert Monroe, and from Fort Monroe to SAINT;
Fe. The Constitution has made the Presiden
the Commander in chief Of the arn1ics, and Ii
| 1f Iy- thnt
army officer. 1t does not require miltar,
education 10 perceive that Il blow ought to i,
struck at this, or that, or the other place
Common sense tells tbat, and it is for 1uilitar,
scitnrc to tell the way in wlIi:l the blog
should he struck. It is extremely unbeeum
i,'g in the legal Comr.ander- -i1l~chicf to sa
that Gen. Scott or Gen. Mcclellan has :; plan
and fe leaves it nil to tie aforesaid Gen. Scot
or Gen. McClcllan Secretary Stanton vii
initiate better systen,- Standing By l1w i
the Presidents place as to the ailtlrs OF wa'
he viii exercise tlc powers which the law vest
i'll him. and he will not fall back on any CTR
craf when inquired vi by the colutryls to til
plan for putting down the rebellion.
1hc LITTER III the Ncw York Tribune, pu,
porting to give conversation between th
| FRI siG..nt and Gen. Lane, in which the forIue
nsrt} The following lan5ua3c:
ssYes, General understand you And the onl
difference between you nsl me Is, that y3a vii
ing 10 surrender Iugi.ves to o:al uwile7s in Ca!
lGCF are NliIlHE Wii1C to 10! DIX <
ne t"ittd s!aitS Gortr"Me4t 44s any riyAt g gt!
, MtH.. up III Gag ease and il it had. the Fcorl
would NOT permit us to exercise it,
is, I bclicsc, correct, except that the vnr
/ dtiny WIS used instead Of GpttsinupWt. THIS
ln;,lifvstIv tile true doctrine, for W.,nn thu. Ii
prt scrihes onv method for returning fugitiy
slaves, every other and different method is
, ] violation Of law. Nov let us hare i .,tacr.
order ioTl'idding army officers from surrender
ing or RETURNING such fusi1iyes. The Prcsile1
f OF the United States j, just the man 10 is=u
G such IN order, or cause it 10 be issued, au
Until lie dues it, knowing that the law is tr,
: qurntly violated in that particular, the +,
c spoDsibility for such violation is upon bin.
: A new batcl Of officers arr here from Il!
famGus Accon1ac expedition. E"e'y one
Tim co'.f'ms myT.,st detoHnt c5 tic s'9iHys
e Ger. Lockwood, and The condition a} things q
r. | tie 2>enns7i|d, and some new and intrrtstID
y facts are added to that treasury. For il
Il ! stance: that some OF the rcbcl cavalry horst
;. Which Gen. Lockwood surrendered, after tue
t. bad been captured ty our soldiers, have sint
:, been taken over to Richmond, and are no
u doing service in Beaurpglrds army; also tht
: | the junctionary who accompanied the six II
|. | grOcs lack from Baltimore to Pung0tcague d
hunt for their masters, under pea Of maxim
j. | them ray the expenses of the return trip
:, Gen. Dix to the contrary notwithstandiu
= But this is not all; perhaps not the wors
e The Baltimore papers have recently publisht
IS a speech Of Gen. Lockwood at the town
n | Eastril1e, the substance Of which is that
~ {LOckwood) has List Of several hundred n
groes. horses and mules, which have been use
; for insurrectioDary purposes, and afr thergo'
atndtr Tie |ders ct Congress Jor5eitcd-that If Il
people Of the Eastern Shore If Virginia "
q | vote for delegates to the Wheeling Lcgislatu
- favorab1c to the policy OF auncxing then1sclY
u to Maryland he will not execute the law Of Co
IL grcss against said property; otherwise he IF!
= put them through right sharp! Now here
= i Br;gadier General giving public adyertis
- mcnt that, for the purpose Of b15biay r0fers,
&c will neglect the solemn duties put upon hi
1,y Congress and the Connlauaer-in-chief.
wopderI if Gen. Dix approves Of this maneuy
> of Gen. Lockwood also. Gen. Dix rcularkt
IS to NE, in the conversation had with him
:, Wizards short time since, that the peop
:. Of Accomac and Northampton were general
- averse to the plan Of separation from Virgginj
u that is, they love the rebellion cnthroned
Richmond better than the loyalty or senh1an
OF loyalty, which prevails at Annapo1is.)
S mus. be confessed, boweyer, despite the i,
N moral ard Illegal character of Gen. Lockwood
- plan, tl,at he has put before the people of t
~ Eastern shore most cruel alternative maxi
l. them choose between their niggers and ths
y treason.
It will probably he asccrtaincd, ere ma
days, that Mr.. ColfaX's newspaper bill, (wllic
,. ny the way, was proposed ut the Post Otf
= Department. was intended, on his part, to
q friendly TO the press Of the country. T
!, Committee OF Ways and Means had decided
d lay stamp tax Of one fourth Of a cent on ca
sheet issned. This would compel every da
newspaper in tue country which !as 4 c1rcu