, 1862-12-05
OPENING GE eOHGesnEsE$S,
WHO WAS PRESENT.
TILE ARMY BEFORE EFREDERICKSBURG
FRGHTFUL ABSENTEtEE!SaT,
Leutze's New Picture Of Westward
tho Star Of Emptrs Tekes
its Ways
lFiom the Fhl1adeIpIia 1nqui1er.1
WAsn1NGToE, Dec. !, 1862.


oTESIAG OF CHNGEES5.
The cpe1ing OF Congress was attended bv
no uansnsl excitement or asscnlb1aea Of peo-
pie Ihe hotels have scented to I'LL M the
las1 tt" dcys, bnt there is lot 80 large crowd
OF strangers here as there Was this time last
session.
The galleries in both houEcs we're well filled
With military and civilians, brt owing to the
unpleasant weather, but lew ]sdies made their
appearance. The seats reserved Tor the diplo-
n:At!c corps were vacant.
The Chapl:lu, Rev. Dir. Stockton, opened
the Honse with a very conservative PRAYER.
and in alluding to the war, drew the matter
very mildly thus: ave thank thee, o Lord.
that the people are 6atistied with the cous.Tya.
tieys, but prcgrsesire conduct Of the war!p'
Ire ATTENDANCE ct members Wis as large as
last st sslcn- All the prominent members are
here except Ttadde1s Stevens, But part OF
the Southern members are here. Wich}ifIe.
Of kentucky, and Maynard, Of Tennessee, the
leading men from the Border States. are in
their eeats as usual. Vallandighssn is on
hand, and does not seem to be very much
crest-fsllen at M: Reputation at the late elec-
tucky, were Loticed reading the Presidents
message, which was furnished in pamph1at
form as soon SIS tie House was opened bF the
Speaker, commencing at the irrepreseible dis
cussion OF the emancipation proclamation.
Colonel Van Wyck, Of New York, is the
Ha 1eft Lfs rerfruenf a. Yt,1Lta9, on5 a,1s;..
the nreee1t j1action he cn1nes r. iool- aftss5
the interests Of his cnnstitnenfs Tha hnriv
form of Owen IoVaif1v mnvps .ranr5 raoe;-..
ing tie copgratulations Of others A. =; rs.
election. J0hn Cnvnde SchnTlar f1o1e,r ~
HeIry L. Dawes, the working members Of the
prom ptly as tRe Sneaker,a te,'rnar fail 10
In the Senate there did not Seem to- be moro
ha 5c
ms ssage absorbing everything else. Senator
GoWan vas present, but we did not notice
o-nalor Ntlmot- Among the leading men
were senators wilson, Sumner, Chandler,
- Jim Lane" uasTis and Sherman. The new
Senator IRON Oregon took his seat.
Tie great source Of attraction for visitors
and Members is the great painting OF Leutze
---"WeetWaId the Star OF Empire Takes its
Way" in the stairway ascending to the CALLER
80 " sl0 t1ouse. nang opinions we're eX-
cies oyer the heznt;fn1 1anIsesna ~ n1v th ees M
fanre tha craror rooie ~ 49,. - ~ L9s u1s-
c;srnheTinp oSeT the n,onntains h;5e gionTs 1ss
fai;hfuI f3ocE fnl,nw the Tn1;ae az,;da Ths, s
life.3fke exnressfors ofTen r. tha ~
TEMPTED item tn s5esE ont m ~ H. 1a;s
crowd hat thronred te sarva2 r0 81 ane gep'9f
must be seen to recognize its besntv' M das
scrintion can do It i7stice' let a1nnn a hast3i1
written telepram. Roth Houses ai;nnrnsd
Immediately after reaf7;np The Msssaga
~. ,T,-.e--,,,,~sa - 70'
ihI fHhs1oES1s MESSAGE
1t Is universally conceded that the argu.
ments N l9e Ffesldents message ln.favor OF
emancipation, aud against the dissolution Of
the Union, are the strongest ever made.
some comment is made upon the fact Of his
rot mentioning his plans for the future con-
Duct OF the war, but that It Is best to conceal
all ftom the enemy is not denied.
ABsES1REs FROM THE ARaY.
It is stated on GOOD sufhnrity that mn 1ess
than one HUNDRED and eighty thousand OF the
soldiers whose names now i'll the muster
rolls are aeeent, With or without leave. To
tslk about discipline and organization in the
taeg o. iacts nEe ms = nonsense sublims:ed
to the 1imo5t altalnable limit.
me fiesldent, TOO, IS reported as having
!atess MADE me remalh that the army Is less
n nom9ers ~ Io:oaF Jaa TX Jhan when the last levy
"as nane 1or 31o.ooo men.
THE FAILURE AT FALMOUTH,
It Is no longer question that the ARMY Of
the Potomac ewes Its failure to cross the
Rappahannock promptly, on its arrival,
10 1ne1cusable delay In the furnishing
of pontoon bridges and means Of transport