The Portland daily press., 1862-08-25
LATEST BY EVENING PAPERS.

LATEST BY EVENING PAPERS.
Rebel Congress IN Session-Jedf Darts Mes
sdge-Btoody Measures recommended-Ar-
my mouemeRts.
NEW YORK, AUG. %
The Herald has Richmond papers of the
18th and 10th, announcing the assemblage of
the rebel Congress, and giving Davis message
After alluding TO the sufferings of the peo-
pie and the gallantry of the troops, he says -
The vast army which threatened the capital
Of the Coniederacy, has been defeated and
driven from the lines of investment, and the
enemy repeatedly foiled in his efforts for its
capture, is now seeking to raise new armies on
scale such as modern history does not record
to effect the subjugation of the South, so often
proclaimed as on the eve of accomplishment"
Davis then charges US with rapine. wanton
destruction of private property, murder of
captives. &c, and speaks of the confiscation bill
as atrocious, while the monied obligations of
the Confederate government are forged by the
citizens of the United States. and at least two
generals are engaged in exciting servile insur-
rection. Another has been found of instincts
so brutal as to incite the violence OF his sol
diers against the women of captured city,
He mentions Gen. Butler subsequently.
Davis then says, to enquiries made of the
| CommaIfder-in-Chiefo of the armies of the u.
| States, whether the atrocious conduct of some
| OF their military authorities met the sanction
| of that government, the answer has been evad-
ed on pretext that the enquiry was insulting,
| and no method remains for the suppression of
these enormites but such retributive justice as
may be found possible to execute. Retaliation
| in kind for many of them is impractieable, for
| / have had occasion to remark in former
| message, that under no excess of provocation
| could our noble-hearted defenders be driven to
wreak vengeance on women or children, but
stern and exemplary punishment can aud must
| be melted out to the murderers and telons who,
disgracing the profession of arms, seek to make
of public war the occasion for the commission
of the most atrocious crimes.
Deeply we regret the character of the
| contest into which we are about to be forced,
we must accept ii as an alternative which re-
cent manifestations give us little hope can be
! avoided. The evaporation of failure has
aroused the worst passions of our enemies
| a large portion of their people, even their
clergymen, are now engaged in urging an ex-
| cited populace to the extreme of ierocity and
| nothing remains but to vindcate our rights
| and to maintain our existence by employing
| against our foe every energy and every re-
source at our disposal.
Davis recommends further legislation to
| make conscription universal; also the issue of
additional treasury notes; also some legisla-
| ton for controlling military transportation.
| He says the very large increase of forces re-
Gently called into the field by the President of
| the United States, may render it necessary
hereafter to extend the provisions of the con-
script law, so as to embrace persons between
the ages of thirty-five and forty five years.
The yigor and efficiency of our present fore
es, the condition and the skill and ability which
| distinguished their leaders, inspire the belief
| that no further enrolment will be necessary,
but wise foresight requires that if necessi-
ty should be suddenly developed during the
recess OF Congress, requiring increased forces
for our Defence means should exist for calling
such forces into the field without awaiting the
reassembling of the legislative department of
! the government.
| The rest of the message is of an unimpor
| tant character.
| In the rebel House of Representatives, Foote,
of Tennessee, offered bill for retaliatory pur-
poses. 1t recites that the enemy refuse to
| treat our partizan soldiers as prisoners and
have punished innocent private citizens for
their acts. 1t provides that an officer who may
have committed such atrocities, shall be put TO
death if captured. An equal number of pris-
oners-officers to be preierred-taken from the
enemy, to suffer the fate inflicted on our cap
tured soldiers or citizens. Also bill for the
treatment of captives. 1t provides that any
officer or private captured by our army, who
shall have committed any offence pronounced
felonious by the laws OF the Coniederacy or
any State, shall be delivered mp for trial. Al
so bill TO punish negroes III arms. 1t pro-
yides that the Federal armies composed of
whites and blacks, shall not be held entitled to
the privileges of war, or to be taken prisoners.
OF such as may be captured-the negroes shall
be returned TO their masters or publicly sold,
and their commanders to be hung or shot, as
may be most convenient Alsoa bill to retail
late for seizure of citizens by the enemy. 1t
provides that of the prisoners held by the
United States, a number equal TO that of the
citizens seized, shall be held as hostages for
their safety, and subject to like treatment
Any officer, civil or military concerned in
their service, shall be imprisoned during the
war.
All the bills were referred to the military
committee.
The Richmond examiner of the 18th, says
there is a conviction, perhaps among all class
es, that great battle on or beyond the line of
the Rapidan, cannot long be deferred 1t will
take place whenever our generals are ready,
and not before. Culpepper Court House, Fair
fax and the vicinity, will almost certainly be
the scene of action.
NEW YORK, August 23
A Baltimore sensation correspondent of the
Herald, states that jackson, with 100000 men,
is pushing down the Shenandoah valley for
Winchester while Lee, with 10000, attacks
Gen. Pope. jackson i'll the mean time to turn
towards Leesburg and cross into Maryland,
and thence march on Washington.
The Tribune's Fredericksburg correspond
ent, writing on Wednesday, says: "All day
yesterday and far into the night, troops were
arriving by cars. We have very large artil-
lery force already gathered here, and batteries
so disposed as to completely command Fred
ericksburg and its environs and approaches TO
this side. Our pickets are thrown out twenty
miles, and it will not be easy to take General
Burnside by surprise.